Icestar's Reign
by BlueBlizzard1725
Summary: (Sequel) Icestar has finally conquered the forest and renamed the four combined clans Forestclan. Although she is the leader, not every cat is on her side. A rebellion soon rises with plans to defeat her and return the great clan back into four. Will they succeed or is Icestar just too powerful? As the battle rages, Icestar is yet to realize the rebellion is not her only enemy.
1. Life as Always

**_Warning_****: This is the sequel to Path of Ice. Without reading that first, you will be confused and spoil everything for yourself. If you haven't already read it, please check out Path of Ice listed on my profile. I know it's pretty long but it's worth it. :)**

_Chapter 1_

Icestar was slowly getting used to waking up without the moor wind blowing in her ears. _I guess that's what happens what I combined the clans and moved them to Fourtrees, _the leader thought in her den one morning.

Much has changed for the cats since Icestar convinced them to join together over a moon ago. The new Forestclan dens were completed a quarter-moon ago thanks to the hard work of the large clan. Cats were beginning to get comfortable in their new home and territory. Life was just starting to feel normal again.

At least, for the others; Icestar still had much on her mind. The white-she cat often gazed off into the forest with her bright blue eyes wondering where Redshade was. Since the former Thunderclan tom left the clan to build a rebellion, she has seen no trace of him or the others who left with him. Because of his betrayal, she had to give his apprentice, Dawnpaw, to Sunclaw. And because the former Shadowclan cat, Rainshadow, also joined the rebellion, she gave his apprentice, Oakpaw, to the former Thunderclan she-cat, Mosspelt.

Redshade was never too far from her thoughts; she missed his friendship but she knew she had to put that behind her for the sake of Forestclan.

The rebellion hated the idea of one clan and their goal was to separate Forestclan back into four. Icestar was planning on doing everything in her power to make sure they fail. She and her father have put too much into the clan for them to just tear it apart. The rebellion only had four warriors at the moment but was still a threat. If they continued to be a nuisance, more warriors might consider joining.

Shadowthorn, Icestars' father, hasn't been seen for a while either. He isn't welcome to the clan. In fact, no one other then she and a medicine cat, Nightwind, knew he was alive. And that's only because the grey tom decided to spy in on their conversation one night. Icestar remembered it well.

The leaders' thoughts were interrupted when her three deputies walked it. They were once the other clan leaders. After Starclan supposedly chose Icestar to lead them, they have been demoted.

"Hello Hawkwing, Featherstripe and Wolfclaw." She had them change their names back to their warrior names without taking them to the moonstone. Icestar insisted that having nine lives would only make the whole clan stronger. It took a lot of arguing but Icestar won thanks to her position as leader. She couldn't have them talk to Starclan since Starclan is currently against her idea. The clan doesn't know that little fact though. She also managed to keep the medicine cats at camp during the clan quarter moon, claiming the clan needs them and that they are already in the same clan so there is no need to meet at the Moonstone. They'll put up more of a fight next time.

"Streampaw and Dawnpaw are waiting," Wolfclaw announced.

"Already?" The white she-cat meowed. "They must be excited. I don't want to keep them waiting too long," she added and walked out of the leader den with the deputies following. Icestar turned and leaped onto the Great Rock which was also used for her den and called the clan meeting. Since the camp is now larger, she had to yell much louder.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting!" The message spread and soon, the rock was surrounded by cats. Streampaw and Dawnpaw were already up on the Great Rock with Icestar. "Today is a special day for Forestclan; we have two new warriors to welcome into the clan. I, leader of Forestclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.

"Streampaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan even at the cost of your own life?" Streampaw was once in Riverclan. Icestar decided to make her a warrior for fighting the rebels before they left the clan.

"I do," the she-cats said, eyes shining. Streampaw, like Dawnpaw, loved the idea of one clan and showed she would fight for it. The apprentice usually wasn't a fan of fighting to begin with, which made Icestar more impressed.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Streampaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Streamheart. Starclan honors your courage and we welcome you as a full warrior of Forestclan." Icestar took a step forward and touched the new warriors head with her muzzle and Streamheart licked her shoulder.

Streamheart stepped away while Dawnpaw came up next. "Dawnpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Dawnfall. Starclan honors your loyalty." The orange she-cat also fought the rebels, including her mentor, Redshade, and her parents, Greyshadow and Flowertail who also wanted to join them. She proved herself well. Icefur lightly touched her head as she licked the leaders' shoulder.

The two new warriors turned to the large crowd as they cheered their names. "Streamheart, Dawnfall! Streamheart, Dawnfall!"

"You two will sit the silent vigil tonight. Clan meeting dismissed." The clan cats scattered. When the two she-cats jumped down, they were surrounded by friends and family.

Streamheart had a sister; Frostpaw. She was probably upset since her sister was made a warrior before her. Streamheart had mostly former Riverclan cats around her, which was understandable, but there were a few others too; Oakpaw and Leafpaw where there as well. They were the only other warrior apprentices so it was easy to see why they became friends so soon.

Dawnfall, on the other paw, didn't really have many cats to talk to. Some came over to say congratulations but that's all. Her brother and sister died right after birth and her mother died by Icestars' claws when she joined Redshade. Her father lived and left with the rebellion. The she-cat seemed to have no regrets about fighting them; she was never popular anyway.

Sympathetic for Dawnfall, Icestar jumped down and padded up to the orange cat. "Are you excited?" She asked her plainly.

Dawnfall shrugged. "I'm excited to protect Forestclan, so yeah," she said with an emotionless expression. She was always so serious…

"That's good," Icestar told her and sat down next to her. "I know you'll always be loyal."

"Unlike my traitor mentor," Dawnfall pointed out, shifting her weight.

"Yeah… You'll start your vigil with Streamheart before you know it," Icestar said, changing the subject. "Make sure to get something to eat before then."

Dawnfall nodded. "I will," she meowed simply.

"Good," Icestar muttered and stood up. "Well I have some things to do…"

Dawnfall stood up as well. "Alright," she said not quite under her breath and walked away to break Streamheart out of the crowd.

Icestar watched for a brief moment before turning away to look for her friends, Rowanpelt, Bramblestripe or Breezetail. Honestly, she would rather find the first two. Since Breezetail admitted his love for her, it's been awkward between the two. She's been too busy with the clan to even decide if she loved him back. She didn't even know what love felt like.

To make matters worse, Icestar noticed her friends were avoiding her. Ever since she absentmindedly killed Flowertail, no one came to her just to chat like they usually did. It's like they were afraid of her.

Redshade told her she changed when she killed his old clanmate. She refuses to believe it. _Of course I changed, _Icestar reminded herself constantly. _We all change. But I haven't become a murderous tyrant like he wants everyone to believe._

Icestar shook her head, trying to forget about Redshade and what he said. She noticed the medicine cats were all gathered outside. Heatherwish, Nightwind, Firestripe, Coldstone, Goldenfur and Whillowleaf; they were all there. Except for Echopaw, the leader noted when she walked over.

"Where's Echopaw?"

"That's what we were talking about," Firestripe replied. "We haven't seen her all day."

Heatherwish added, "This isn't the first time. She's been disappearing for a while every few days recently."

_How have I not noticed this? _"Has anyone seen her last night?"

"I saw her before I went to sleep," Nightwind informed them. "She either left last night or this morning."

As the cats pondered what has happened to the apprentice, Echopaw padded into camp. She looked tired and worn out. The medicine cats and Icestar quickly joined the silver she-cat.

"Where have you been?" her mentor demanded.

"I'm sorry Coldstone, everyone," the young cat started. "I don't know what you're talking about." The tone of her voice made it very clear how tired she was. She was fighting back a yawn.

"You haven't been in camp since last night," Goldenfur pointed out.

Echopaw hesitated for a moment. "I uh, I was out looking for herbs," she said, more directly at Coldstone. "I wanted to impress you by finding some in other parts of the territory that I don't know so well but I couldn't find anything."

Coldstone didn't look too convinced, as well as the others, but he let it go. "Just tell me next time." The tom padded away. Echopaw left and walked into the medicine cat den to get some rest.

Icestar didn't know how many medicine cats believed her but Icestar sure didn't. Echopaws' hesitation told her that she was lying and just made up the excuse that moment. The white she-cat however didn't have the time to think about it for long before she spotted Bramblestripe leaving the warrior den.

"Bramblestripe!" Icestar called to her friend and padded over to the grey and black she-cat.

"Oh, hi Icestar," she responded. "What's up?" Bramblestripe didn't sound as casual as she usually did. Since Flowertails' death, it seemed like Icestars' friends were afraid to say something and upset her despite it being over a moon ago.

"Not much," she replied calmly. "Just wanted to ask how you're doing."

"I'm fine. But Featherstripe wants me to go hunting so I better get going."

"I'll go with you," Icestar added as the she-cat began to back away.

"Great," Bramblestripe said and they walked over to the edge of camp. In the hunting party were Spottedfire, Longpelt and Leopardfang. They didn't say anything against Icestar joining them but welcomed her.

Hunting with them was much less entertaining then Icestar anticipated. Every time she wanted to talk to Bramblestripe, her friend would only give one word answers, trying to hint to the leader that she didn't want to chat. Icestar wasn't sure if it was because she simply didn't want to talk to her or because she was busy hunting.

Icestar eventually gave up and forced herself to focus on the prey instead.

When they returned, Icestar caught a mouse and two rabbits. The others didn't want to hunt in the moor at first but Icestar managed to bring them there since she wasn't having much luck in the forest.

Icestar dropped the prey in the fresh-kill pile and turned to Bramblestripe. "So how's Breezetail doing?"

"He's fine," Bramblestripe said plainly. Icestar waited for her to farther explain. "I guess he still wants an answer from you; he's thinking you don't like him the same way."

Icestar shifted her weight. "I don't know. I've been so occupied; I don't know what to think." Bramblestripe was starting to act more like her old self. "What about you and Rainshadow?" Icestar asked, changing the topic.

She shook her head. "I wish he didn't leave but…" her voice trailed off. Icestar didn't know what she was going to say and was starting to get tired of the conversation anyway.

"Alright… I'll talk to you later." The white she-cat turned and walked away.

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When she left her den after the sun set, Icestar was reminded that leaf-bare was coming once again when she was welcomed by the cool night air.

There were still a few cats in the camp but Icestar could easily slip past them. She ran behind the dens until she got out of camp. Icestar has gotten used to being awake during the night; at first, it messed up her sleeping habits but its' gotten better.

The white cat trotted through the moor, heading to the old Windclan camp. The powerful winds gave her a warm, familiar feeling.

When she arrived at the camp, it hasn't changed at all. Windclan was the only camp that didn't get taken apart since they don't have dens. The only differences was the absents of life. Instead of cats everywhere she turned, it was empty and barren. Until she turned to the Tallrock and saw her father appear next to it.

"Hello Icestar," he spoke up first. Icestar walked up to him. "How's the clan?"

"It's going well," she told him, thinking back to during the day. "Everyone is getting more comfortable and they're not fighting with each other much."

Shadowthorn nodded. "Good. I plan to join soon."

Icestar had to take a moment to register what he said. When she understood at last, her head snapped in his direction. "What? How do you plan on doing that? You were exiled!"

"I know that," Shadowthorn said in a tone like he had to repeat himself several times. "It's all a part of the plan. I'll tell you more details later."

Icestar tilted her head and frowned. She wanted answers at that moment but it couldn't be helped. "Alright…"

"So what's going on with that little rebellion?"

Icestar sighed. "I hardly know. I haven't seen them since they left the clan over a moon ago. I don't think anyone left to join them either."

Shadowthorn smiled very faintly like he found that amusing. "They're fighting a loss cause," he said, shaking his head. "They're afraid to show their faces in front of you. A few cats are no match for Forestclan."

"That's what I was thinking," Icestar told him, looking out at the forest, wondering once again where Redshade was.

There were a few heartbeats of silence. Shadowthorn watched his daughter closely until he finally said, "Don't worry Icestar." The white she-cat turned to him again. "In time, you'll be able to kill them all off. With your own claws if you have to."

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**A/N: Please tell me what you think; I really want to know. Don't forget; the more reviews, the more often I update. X)**

**I have some pretty good things planned for this story too. Sorry for the wait to those who have been reading since I was updating Path of Ice but it's here now. Hope you like what's to come!**

**… Also, I didn't finish editing all the errors in Path of Ice yet. It's taking much longer than I expected and since I'm on my 2 week long winter break, I wanted to use this time to write. So I decided to take a different approach to edit it. I'm just going fix it up as I write this. I hated the thought of keeping everyone waiting another two months for the sequel. **

**Have a nice day~**


	2. New Recruit

_Chapter 2_

The barn and its surrounding area wasn't apart of Forestclans' new territory. They claimed the moor as their own land but the powerful wind still swept through the barn. A forest cat such as Redshade struggled to get used to the new environment. It's been almost two moons since he left Forestclan and created the rebellion but it seemed like his last conversation with Icestar happened only a day ago.

The red tom sighed as his gaze reached past the moor and stared into the distant forest: his home. Looking at it made him wonder why Icestar decided to mess up his life and combine the clans. He understood what she was thinking but doesn't understand why she can't see her way is wrong.

Redshade shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. The warrior already pondered her actions before and honestly, he was getting tired of it.

He picked up the dead mice that he placed by his paws and headed back for the rebellions base: the barn. The other warriors were very resistant when he told them where they would be staying for the time being. Every cat knew Icestar was once a loner who lived in the very same barn but he reassured them several times that she wouldn't assume they would return to her old home.

The barn was much nicer then they four cats expected. Prey was constantly roaming the area and the twolegs didn't seem the care about the cats living there. A few of the strange creatures came inside a couple of times. Redshade was sure they spotted him once but they didn't react as he expected. He thought they would be mad for taking prey but he's beginning to think they actually like the decrease in mice. Perhaps they don't like the taste.

Redshade shrugged at the thought. It was impossible to understand what a Twoleg was thinking.

The warrior slipped inside dropped the mice in a pile of prey. He turned when he heard a voice from behind.

"You took your time. Catching three mice in the barn usually doesn't take so long."

"I wasn't in any rush, Rainshadow." The grey tom smiled and took some a rabbit from the pile and sat down. Redshade decided to take some prey for himself as well.

"Say," Redshade started as he glanced around the barn. "Where are Mapleshine and Greyshadow?"

Rainshadow swallowed a mouthful and gestured outside with his tail. "Mapleshine decided to go on a walk around the barn again and Greyshadow went hunting after you left."

The red cat nodded. "So it's been pretty quiet here, huh?"

"Yep; I'm starting to wonder if Icestar forgot about us or something."

"No, that wouldn't happen," Redshade told him. He's known the white she-cat long enough to know she wouldn't forget about something like a rebellion. "She's probably too busy with her clan."

"I suppose you're right." Rainshadow meowed and finished off the rabbit he was eating and grimaced. "Why do Winclan cats life this so much?"

Redshade chuckled. "Why do Shadowclan cats like frogs?"

"Have you ever tried one?" There was no reason to answer that with words. Redshade hasn't tasted a frog nor would he ever want to.

Their conversation was interrupted when a rich brown she-cat padded inside and joined the two toms. "Hey guys," she said casually.

"Welcome back, Mapleshine," Redshade replied. "Have you seen Greyshadow after he went hunting?"

She shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to discuss our plan of action as soon as possible. We can't break Forestclan back into four just by sitting here all day."

"That's true." Mapleshine walked back to the entrance and looked outside, searching for Greyshadow. "No, I don't see- wait. He's making his way here." She turned to Redshade and Rainshadow.

"Good," the red warrior meowed moments before the grey tom came in with a single rabbit in his jaw. "You were gone for so long and that's all you managed to get?"

Greyshadow dropped it in the pile. "I'm not used to hunting rabbits."

"Yeah, okay. Anyway, we need to discuss what we're going to do next." Redshade was going to continue speaking but Greyshadow cut him off.

"Actually, I have something to say first."

"Can't it wait?"

"No. I was thinking we should get a medicine cat to join the rebellion."

Mapleshine shifted her weight. "How are we going to do that? The medicine cats absolutely refuse to go against the word of Starclan."

Greyshadow smirked and another small cat walked timidly inside the barn. It was Echopaw.

"Echopaw?" Redshade exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

She cleared her throat and replied. "I want to join you."

Redshade glanced at the other warriors. They were all just as surprised as he was. "Well, that's great. We appreciate the risk of leaving Forestclan."

Echopaw smiled faintly. "I wanted to say something before you left the camp but then a fight started and I.. I didn't want to get involved in that. Since then, I have been sneaking out of camp, looking for you. I managed to run into Greyshadow and he brought me here."

Redshade thought it all over and nodded. "Alright, you can join. But know that once you leave Forestclan, you won't be able to go back. If we lose this battle, all of us will be killed. Do you understand?"

The silver she-cat nodded. "Yes I do. I'm not a fully trained medicine cat yet but I hope I can help you as much as possible."

Redshade admired the young cats' bravery. Usually, he would be suspicious of Echopaw being a spy sent by Icestar but here was only truth in her eyes. He knew they could trust her. And since Icestar still didn't know about her leaving the clan, they have the advantage at the moment. "You'll be able to be very helpful. Icestar probably knows you've been sneaking out but she doesn't know you joined us. Before she gets too suspicious, we need to make a move."

"Alright," Mapleshine said. "What's the plan?"

The red tom stared blankly at his paws for a moment, thinking of ways Echopaw could help them at the moment. Finally, he looked up at the others again. "The key here is Icestar."

"What do you mean?" Echopaw asked quietly.

"In order to restore the forest to what it once was, we need to get to her first."

Rainshadow nodded. "Right. If she didn't have nine lives and three deputies, killing her would be the simplest thing to do."

"It'll be too difficult to kill her nine times." Redshade kept the fact that he was reluctant to kill his former friend to himself. "So, our other options is to have the whole clan turn against her or capture her and force her to do it. Just asking her isn't going to work."

"And I don't think convincing the whole clan will go too well either," Greyshadow pointed out.

"Then we'll have to capture Icestar." Redshade turned his attention to Echopaw. "This is where you'll come in. You'll need to go back to camp today before they know you joined us and stay there until the time is right. I hope you won't mind."

Echopaw shook her head. "If it'll help, I'll gladly return to Forestclan."

He nodded. "Good. When we somehow give you the signal, you'll find Icestar and get her alone. You'll have to keep her distracted for a bit. Meanwhile, some of us-" he glanced at the others. "-will jump in and take care of the rest." Before they put their plan into action, Redshade needed to figure out what 'take care of the rest' meant. They could try to knock her out but she might struggle too much and mess it all up. They could drag her out of the camp too quickly for her to fight back, but she might have better reflexes than expected.

"Should I go back to camp right now?" Echopaw asked, breaking Redshade out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You need to get back to camp as soon as possible before they start sending out a search party or something. If you wait too long, they just might do that and find our base here."

Echopaw opened her mouth to reply but looked uncertain and avoided the toms gaze nervously.

He tilted his head. "Echopaw? Is something wrong?"

Echopaw hesitated for a moment before looking back up at him. "I actually left the camp last night."

Redshade was momentarily stunned. _This is bad. _"You were gone all night?" He glanced outside. "And it's already Sunhigh. You need to get back to Forestclan camp right now," he told her urgently. If Icestar thinks Echopaw met with the rebellion, the whole plan could be at great risk.

"Y-yes, I'll go right now." She spun around to leave the barn but paused and looked back over to him. "How will I know when to distract Icestar?"

"We'll sneak into the camp in four days. It'll happen during the night but while cats are still awake." Redshade had to think fast in order for Echopaw to make it back in time. He desperately hoped four days was enough time to plan everything out more thoroughly.

The silver she-cat Echopaw nodded and raced out of the barn and across the moor.

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_I have to hurry, _Echopaw told herself and she braced through the slightly cold wind. _I need to get back before they notice I've been gone for too long._ Echopaw knew she has been careless. When she snuck out before, she didn't try too hard to make sure she wasn't noticed because she believed that once she found the rebellion, it wouldn't matter if they knew she left.

But now it did matter. The young apprentice has searched the whole enlarged territory in search for the rebelling cats so she could be their medicine cat. She had no idea they would want her to be a part of a field mission.

_I could have thought this through a bit more, _she admitted with a sigh. Echopaw reached the forest and slowed her pace. She needed to enter camp casually.

As she got closer, Echopaw stopped and scanned the forest floor. She needed to tell the others a reason for leaving for so long if they ask so she figured she would quickly find a few herbs to return with.

Echopaw scrambled together a pile of Goldenrod and Dock leaves and carried it into camp. She padded across the camp with no interruption and set the herbs inside the medicine cat den. When she turned around to leave then den, she jumped back, started, at the sight of the angry mentor standing in front of her.

"Where have you been all night? You can't keep sneaking out like this!"

"I-I haven't been sneaking out," she she-cat said quietly. "I got some herbs, see?" She gestured to the Goldenrod and Dock leaves.

Coldstone sighed when he knew she had an alibi. "Alright, but I already told you; tell me when you go searching for herbs. Besides, we weren't in need for any Goldenrod. What we really need is Catmint. Leaf-bare is on its way."

Echopaw replied, "I'll make sure to get some when I go out."

Coldstone nodded and left the den. When he was gone, Echopaw let out a deep sigh. She was nervous about being caught but she got away once again. The silver apprentice padded outside of the den and spotted Icestar talking to Wolfclaw.

Honestly, she didn't like the idea of attacking the leader; she had nothing against Icestar but it was necessary if things are ever going to return to normal.

Echopaw pushed away her reluctance and replaced it with confidence. _No matter what, I will help the rebellion restore the four clans. It's the right thing to do._

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**A/N: Ah, what a long wait. It feels good to write again, despite this being a rather short chapter. Anywho, I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long. I have some fun things planned. This story definitely won't be 49 chapters long but it'll still have a pretty good length. Thanks for reading and please review. =D**

**Have a nice day~**


	3. Thoughts

_Chapter 3_

"Icestar?" The leader heard a voice from what seemed to be very far away. "Icestar," the voice said again. At this point, she began to realize the sound was actually very close.

The white she-cat opened her eyes and waited for a moment, listening for the voice to speak again. She wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was from her dream.

"Can we come in?" She looked up to see the medicine cats have gathered just outside her den. Heatherwish was the one speaking.

Icestar stretched out her legs and sat up. "Yes, what is it?" The six cats slowly entered the den. Most of them haven't spoken to the leader much. Those more used to her, such as Heatherwish and Nightwind, usually did the talking. Firestripe, Coldstone, Goldenfur and Willowleaf tended to just watch from behind. The leader noticed Echopaw wasn't with the group but assumed that was because she was just an apprentice.

"The next Half Moon will be here soon," Heatherwish informed her. "We didn't go to the Moonstone last time but we don't feel right about skipping it." The cats behind her nodded in agreement.

Icestar sighed. She knew this conversation was bound to happen eventually. "I don't think you should go to the Moonstone every Half Moon anymore." The medicine cats were obviously surprised by what she said. "Why do you think Starclan wanted us to join together?" The six cats glanced of each other in silence, unsure of how to answer. Icestar continued. "They want us to become more independent and work together better. Starclan doesn't want us to go to them every time we have a problem; we have to figure it out for ourselves."

"Well-" Nightwind spoke up this time. "-we don't always have problems to solve when we go on the Half Moon."

"If they need to tell us something, they will," Icestar told him. She was certain of what she said but was afraid of actually happening. In fact, she was surprised Starclan hasn't gone to any of the Forestclan cats yet. What were they waiting for? Icestar knew most of them didn't like the combining of the clans but she wanted to show them that her way is better that four. Perhaps they were waiting to see if Icestar was right. But the six medicine cats still didn't look convinced.

Firestripe stepped out from behind. "You can't keep us away from Starclan," the orange tom said. "We will keep going to the Moonstone until Starclan _tells_ _us _not to. As your Medicine Cats, you can't stop us."

Icestar narrowed her eyes. "That is exactly what I'm talking about. As one clan, we all need to learn to depend on each other and make our own decisions." The leader thought her argument wasn't too bad but she knew the six cats won't give up easily. With that in mind, her mind began racing for something to say to change the subject.

"We don't have any proof that Starclan wants us to do that."

Icestar opened her mouth to reply but glanced outside the den end back at the medicine cats. "Where's Echopaw?"

Flamestripe, Heatherwish, Nightwind, Goldenfur and Willowleaf turned to Coldstone, Echopaws' mentor. The blue tom was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "I have no idea."

"When did you last see her?" Goldenfur meowed worriedly.

"Last night," Coldstone answered. "I don't get it; why does she keep leaving camp without telling me?"

"Maybe something happened to her," Willowleaf pondered.

"We should send a search party after her. Just to be safe," Icestar told the cats.

Coldstone nodded. "Echopaw tells me she was looking for herbs when she leaves but…" his voice trailed off as he glanced outside.

Icestar slipped through the small crowd of cats and walked through the camp with them all following. "To find her faster," Icestar started, "we will send two small groups in each part of the territory." By 'parts', she was referring to the old territories of the four clans. "We'll find Echopaw in no time."

"Who will we send? I'd like to go as well," Coldstone told the leader.

Icestar nodded and she looked at each cat her eyes past as she walked through camp. She paused when she spotted a small silver she-cat walk into the medicine cat den with a mouthful of herbs. "Is that-" she started but Coldstone cut her off.

"Echopaw," he called and ran over to the apprentice. Icestar took a step forward to follow but stopped herself and paused. She wasn't in the mood to hear Coldstone scold the she-cat.

Icestar didn't pay attention to what the other medicine cats did when she turned away and began walking through camp with no destination in mind. _Maybe I can get some time alone to think things through, _the leader wondered as he stared into the forest, planning to take a walk through the territory. The idea was interrupted when Nightwind walked up to her.

"Hello," the grey tom said when he reached her.

Icestar turned to face him. "Is there something on your mind?"

Nightwind quickly looked around him then stepped to the side of camp with Icestar following. When out of earshot, he began talking. "Do you remember when I saw Shadowthorn? And you told me not to mention anything about it until the clan gets started so we can see how it goes?"

Icestar nodded. She didn't have a good feeling about what he was getting to.

"I know it's only been about two moons but it seems to me that the majority of the cats would rather go back to four clans."

The she-cat sighed. Nightwind was too soft. He was more concerned about what the cats thought about what Starclan seemed to have said. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing but it made things harder for Icestar. "You forget that this is what Starclan told us to do. The other leaders, uh, deputies were told personally."

Nightwind tilted his head. "Yes, I know but it doesn't seem like the best choi-"

"Look," Icestar said firmly, cutting him off. "It's going to take longer than two moons for everyone to get used to one clan. Give it more time." She paused and waited to see if Nightwind had anything else to say but he remained silent. "Now if you don't mind, I have something to do." Without looking back, Icestar left the camp and began walking aimlessly through the forest. She liked wandering through the parts of the territory that weren't as known to her. Exploring was a good pastime and gave her time to think.

_How can I get everyone to forget about the four clans? _To more forward, everyone needed to forget about the past. They're too hung up on the issues. Except for the one who fully support Forestclan.

_Let's see… It was Dawnfall, Streamheart, Rockstorm and… I guess Bluefire. _Those were the cats who fought for the clan before Redshade and his rebel friends left. They were probably the most loyal Forestclan cats. She had to think of some way to get more cats like them; but how?

Suddenly, another thought appeared in her mind once Icestar reached the Thunderpath. Not wanting to cross it, she turned and took another path.

_Shadowthorn mentioned he wanted to join the clan. _How did her father plan on pulling that off? She never knew what he was thinking. Sometimes, Icestar had the strange feeling that she shouldn't trust him but always shoved the thought away. _He's my father! _She always told herself. _There's no reason not to trust him. _Yet the feeling still remained.

Once the forest began to clear away around her, Icestar decided to change the topic she was thinking about.

_The rebellion; what am I going to do about them?_ Icestar knew she couldn't leave them alone and let them do whatever for much longer; she needed to make a move. But first, she needed to discover their hiding place. Where would Redshade go after getting exiled from Forestclan? Definitely somewhere out of the set territory but that didn't leave much. There was the twoleg place which was unlikely; the tree cut place, the Highrocks, its surrounding areas and the barn.

At that moment, Icestar began padding through the moor and saw the barn in the distance. Several memories from the past reappeared in her mind. She welcomed the thoughts fondly.

The white she-cat remembered the times when she and her sister would play games in the vast fields and explore. Back when life was so simple.

She recalled the day when her family was attacked by the dogs; that was when her life changed forever. She always liked the barn but now, it was empty.

The idea of the barn being empty brought another idea into her mind. Is that where the rebels decided to go? Would Redshade dare go to Icestars' birthplace while she was trying to hunt him down? Would he do something like that?

_Yes… Yes he would. _That had to be it. Everywhere else would be too dangerous. Yes, it would be perfect for them. The barn was always packed with mice and the twolegs never minded when cats stayed there. That had to be it.

Icestar thought about going there to see for herself. Surely it wouldn't take too long but she couldn't risk it. She would have to take her chances when the time came and go there based on that assumption.

_But it was enough. _Still staring at the barn in the distance, the leader began planning what she should do about it.

She had time to clarify if her thought is correct or not. She could send someone over there look for them. If whoever she sends comes back saying the rebels are at the barn, then Icestar could go there with a few others and attack. Or maybe she shouldn't go with them… Icestar didn't want to be a coward but the raid might not end in her favor.

_When should this happen anyway? _Icestar turned everything over in her head. She wanted to finish off the rebels as soon as possible.

After pondering this for a moment, she came to a decision. _That'll work… I'll attack the barn in four days. _

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After coming to the conclusion, Icestar headed back to camp. She thought through everything she needed to and even found where the rebels might be hiding. So far, it was a very progressive day for her. Despite, this there were still so many things in the back of her mind.

_One issue at a time._

When the leader got into camp, the first thing she saw was a few of the medicine cats talking. There was Goldenfur, Willowleaf and Heatherwish. The noticed her when she walked in and gave her a look that was the suggestion of a glare. Icestar was slightly taken back by it but carried on to her den. They were probably just upset over the whole Moonstone thing. Icestar might have said something but she still needed to tell the deputies about her plan.

"Where are they, anyway?" she asked herself under her breath as she glanced around the camp. One of the warriors, Mosspelt, walked past her and the leader stopped her.

"Have you seen Wolfclaw, Featherstripe or Hawkwing around?"

The she-cat nodded. "I saw Featherstripe go hunting not long ago and I think Hawkwing went on a border patrol. I don't know where Wolfclaw is." Icestar thanked her for the information and padded into the leaders' den.

She sat down in her nest with a sigh. It was difficult to monitor three deputies._ I'll tell them the plan later. _

Who should she send to check the barn before the attack? Icestar knew it would be safer to send more than one cat. She looked outside into the camp.

_Perhaps Mudwhisker. _She felt bad about demoting him after being a deputy for such a short time. Maybe she could send all four of the former deputies. That would be Mudwhisker, Bluefoot, Thistlescar and Frostheart. They could probably do a good job but four cats might be too noticeable. She wanted them to find the information on the rebellion as discreetly as possible. So would two of them be better?

Icestar sighed again. She didn't need to figure this all out at that very moment. But either way, she planned on ending the rebellion in four days.

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**A/N: For those who might have forgotten, the rebels plan on attacking Icestar in four days as well. See what I did there? Yeah.**

**Anyway, I put some extra effort into finishing this on Christmas. I know it's not too exciting and most of it is Icestars' thoughts but soon, very soon, we'll get into the good stuff. As well as longer chapters 'cuz I know these are pretty short so far. **

**Also, I've been wondering whether or not I should have a bunch of filler chapters spilled in everywhere through the story or skip that and have it finished quickly. Care to help me decide?**

**Anywho, thanks for reading and please review!**

**Happy holidays and have a nice day~**


	4. Course of Action

_Chapter 4_

In two days, Icestar planned on attacking the rebels at the barn. But before she could do that, she sent Mudwhisker and Frostheart to find out whether the rebels really were at the barn or not.

Mudwhisker wasn't quite sure how he felt about attacking former clan members but there was nothing he could do about it. An order was an order. But the strange thing was, if the rebels were the enemies, why were they all such nice cats? Mudwhisker met all of them and no matter how he looked at it, Mapleshine and her friends couldn't be seen as enemies to him.

But that didn't change anything.

The brown tom sat in silence as he waited for Frostheart to join him. They were supposed to leave at dawn. Eventually, the she-cat walked past him and said, "What's taking so long? Let's go already." He decided not to mention how he was the one waiting on her.

Moments after leaving camp, the two cats broke into a run as they headed for the moor.

At first, Mudwhisker wasn't quite sure why Frostheart was chosen to go with him. They were supposed to sneak around the barn discreetly but her white fur was very noticeable even with Leaf-bare on its way. After asking around, he learned the former Shadowclan deputy had a reputation for being very swift and unnoticeable when the situation called for it. And somehow Icestar found out about it. But if that was the case, then why was he chosen to go? Mudwhisker wasn't exactly the stealthiest cat in the forest.

His thoughts were interrupted when the two cats reached the moor. Being back in the strong breeze was so refreshing. The wind was cold and crisp; another warning that Leaf-bare was coming. It was also much darker in the early morning. They should have no problem sneaking around.

"We're almost there," Frostheart said loudly, trying to get her voice over the sound of the wind. The tom found it amusing how she was struggling to keep up with him now that they were in the wide open field.

The barn soon came into view in the distance. This would be the first time both cats got close to it; neither of them knew what to expect.

Without hesitation, they rushed forward. As they closed in on the barn, there was yet to be any sign of the rebels. It wasn't too surprising since there were only four of them.

The two Forestclan Cats avoided the main entrance and hid in the bushes next to the barn.

"How should we get in?" Mudwhisker asked the she-cat in a hushed tone.

Frostheart glanced around her surroundings for a moment. Mudwhisker followed her gaze. There was a tall tree next to the building. One of the branches reached very close to a high opening in the side of the barn. "We can climb the tree and jump inside. The rebels are probably asleep right now. If they're not, then we'll have to make sure there's no one in the room before we go inside."

The brown tom nodded and ran towards the tree and jumped towards a branch. He dug his claws into the bark when he reached the lowest branch and pulled himself up. Frostheart followed him up, having much less trouble then he did. They jumped from branch to branch until they could see into the barn.

"There seems to be no one in the area," Mudwhisker said quietly as he looked inside.

Frostheart passed him and leaped inside. Mudwhisker glanced around to make sure no one was watching and followed the white she-cat.

When then got inside, the two cats hid behind a few wooden creates in the corner. They were on the second floor of the barn. If the rebels were there, they would most likely be on the first floor.

Before either of them moved, Mudwhisker listened carefully for any noises. There was something; a very faint noise but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. It was possible the sound was someone whispering.

Frostheart glanced at him and turned to the set of stairs that headed down. They didn't look too strong; just a few boards of wood, basically. Instead of walking down, the cats stayed at the top and looked down. So far, no one was in sight.

Frostheart gestured down the stairs with her head to show she was going down and Mudwhisker nodded. She quietly paced down the steps until she reached the last one. Mudwhisker glanced behind himself nervously and followed.

Frostheart looked around the corner and immediately turned around again. When Mudwhisker looked at her in the eyes, he could see how alarmed she looked.

"What is it?" the brown tom asked as softly as possible. She moved out of the way for him and he looked behind the corner as well. There, in the middle of the barn, was Mapleshine, Redshade, Rainshadow and Greyshadow.

_It's true! _Mudwhisker thought to himself. _They really are here._

Heartbeats after seeing them, Redshade turned in his direction. Mudwhisker backed up quickly, hoping he wasn't just seen.

Around the corner, they heard the rebels talking. "Did you see that?" It was Redshade speaking.

"What?" Mapleshine asked.

"I don't know. I just saw something."

"Let's check it out," Rainshadow meowed.

Mudwhisker began to panic and turned to Frostheart but she was already hurrying up the stairs. Hearing the sound of paws coming closer, he did the same. The two cats headed for the window and leaped out.

Redshade got to the second story of the barn a heartbeat after the Forestclan cats escaped.

After landing back on the ground, Mudwhisker and Frostheart charged for the nearby bushes and waited in silence until they were sure no one was around, looking for them.

"Good going," Forstheart said sarcastically at last.

"Don't blame me for that," Mudwhisker said in his defense. "The same thing could have happened to you."

Frostheart shrugged and padded out of the bushes. "Anyway, we know the rebels are hiding there so let's go back to camp and tell Icestar." She began walking towards the forest.

"Wait," the tom said before she could take another step. "If you don't mind me asking, are you okay about fighting these cats? I mean, they were our clanmates."

Frostheart turned to Mudwhisker and studied him for a moment before answering. "They're no longer in the same clan as I; which means, Rainshadow and his friends are now my enemy."

Mudwhisker was shocked by her answer. "How could you say that? Wasn't he your friend in Shadowclan? Don't you care about him?" He replied, unable to stop himself from asking.

Frostheart gave him a glare that told him she was getting irritated. "Of course not," she said sourly and turned away. Despite her answer, the look in her eyes said otherwise. She did care; she just couldn't bring herself to face the truth.

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Two days have passed since Icestar send Mudwhisker and Frostheart to the barn. When they returned, they told the leader about the rebels staying there.

And now, the day has come to attack. Icestar already organized who would be going. Since there were only four cats, it wouldn't be hard to outnumber them. Streamheart, Dawnfall, Pineclaw, Crookedstem, Longpelt and Raventail are the cats who would go. She was careful to choose mostly former Riverclan cats since none of the rebels were from Riverclan. She didn't want cats who had a bond with the rebels to go or else they might hesitate. And that would ruin the entire raid. As for Streamheart and Dawnfall, they were loyal cats. Icestar knew they wouldn't screw it up.

The six of them already knew where and when to gather. Icestar told them to meet at the camp entrance at Sundown. She wanted them to have the cover of night while they attack. And if they get lucky, the rebels might be asleep by the time they get there.

As she waited for the day to end, Icestar sat on top of the Great Rock lazily, watching the warriors live their everyday life. At calm times like these, the white she-cat couldn't help but wonder why she always felt like she was missing something. Since she joined the clans together, something wasn't quite right but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Already tired of the thought, Icestar leaped down and glanced around the camp. One of the annoying parts of being a part of such a large clan is she hardly knew most of the other cats. She recognized most of them but they weren't cats she particularly wanted to have a long conversation with. At least in several moons, kits will one day grow up around these cats and get to know them right at the beginning. Icestar is willing to sacrifice herself and her own needs for the sake of the future generations. That was the whole point of combining the clans in the first place.

Having enough of her boredom, the leader began pacing through the camp, in search of a cat she actually knew. Before long, a cat appeared in her head and she decided to search for her.

Icestar changed her course for the nursery. There were currently only two queens inside; Flowerfrost and Silverheart.

When Icestar walked into the den, the two she-cats were laying in their nests, talking to each other. Flowerfrost paused when she saw the leader. "Oh, hello Icestar," she said cheerfully. Ever since she became a queen, Flowerfrost seemed a little more cheery around camp.

Icestar said hello back and sat down across from the she-cats cats. "How are you two doing?"

"Pretty good," Silverheart answered casually.

"Yeah," Flowerfrost agreed. "So what brings you, Icestar?"

Icestar sighed. "Nothing much. I just wanted to drop by; say hi"

Flowerfrost smiled. "Oh really," she said suspiciously.

"Yep. So are you two excited to have kits?" She asked, changing the topic.

Silverheart lit up. "I can't wait," she said excitedly. Then Icestar suddenly realized she didn't know who Silverhearts' mate was. She didn't want to embarrass herself by asking though.

She turned to Flowerfrost. "How is Blackspot doing?"

"He's fine. Busy being a warrior, I suppose. I wish I could join him in hunting and patrols but he _insists _that I stay in camp," she said with a long sigh and looked at her paws. Before Icestar could respond, the light she-cat looked up and an idea popped into her head. "Do you ever want to have kits?"

Icestar was startled. "Uh, I don't know. I don't really think about it."

"Well if you had kits with Breezetail, I'm sure they would be adorable."

Icestar jumped to her paws. "B-Breezetail? Why do you say that?"

Flowerfrost and Silverheart both looked confused. "Well he kind of let the whole clan know he likes you, remember?"

_How could I forget? _"W-Well, we're not mates."

The queen tilted her head. "Why not?"

"Uhh, I don't know. Just… because. I guess I've been sort of busy… And I'm still busy. See you later." Icestar left the den a little too quickly. When she was around the corner and out of sight, she took a deep sigh. Why does the mention of Breezetail make her so nervous?

"Icestar!" A voice from behind surprised the leader and she spun around in alarm.

"What is it, Oakpaw?" Ever since word got out about attacking the rebels, Oakpaw refused to leave Icestar with a single moment of peace.

"Please let me go on the barn raid," the apprentice said urgently.

This wasn't the first time he asked. "Why do you want to go so badly, anyway?"

"I, uh, just want to help the clan." Icestar looked at him sternly, knowing that wasn't the truth. At least, not the whole truth. "Alright, I just want to talk to Rainshadow."

That made more sense. Since Rainshadow was his old mentor, she understood why he wanted to talk to him. "Sorry Oakpaw, but the cats who are going have already been chosen. Besides, you're still an apprentice."

"So? I can still fight," he said in defiance.

Icestar sighed. "If you want to go just to talk to Rainshadow, I think you should re-think it. Not much talking will be done during the fight anyway."

Oakpaw opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. Instead he just looked away, lost in his own thoughts. Seeing as the conversation was over, Icestar said goodbye and kept walking. She still had to prepare for the raid. It would be time to send them off soon.

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Redshade paced back and forth, wondering if there was anything he missed. Not thinking of anything, he turned back to the others. Mapleshine, Greyshadow and Rainshadow all waited for him to speak. Night has fallen and they were ready to head out.

"Echopaw should be waiting for us by now," the red tom finally pointed out.

"So we should hurry," Mapleshine meowed.

"Right but remember only a few of us are going. We can't leave the barn unprotected."

"Why not?" Greyshadow asked. "If no one's here, then what do we have to worry about?"

"It just doesn't seem wise. Anyway, Rainshadow and I will go to meet with Echopaw and carry out the plan."

"Are you sure?" Greyshadow asked in a concerned tone.

"Of course… Why do you ask?"

"Well, I know you and Icestar were friends. Are you sure you'll be able to do it? Maybe I should go-"

"No, I know what I'm doing." In all honesty, he didn't really want to be the one to capture Icestar but as the leader of the rebellion, he felt like it was his responsibility to go. Rainshadow would be able to pull it off; he had confidence of that. But Mapleshine, being Icestars' apprentice, probably wouldn't be able to attack her. Greyshadow would be able to carry out the plan too but Redshade didn't want too many cats going.

"Alright, if you say so," Greyshadow replied and avoided the red toms' gaze.

Redshade walked towards the exit and looked outside the barn. "It's already dark. We should go now," he said and glanced at Rainshadow.

The dark tom nodded. "Alright. See you later," he said to Mapleshine and Greyshadow and the two toms walked out of the barn and ran through the moor, closing in on the forest and the camp.

As they sprinted through the moor, the toms noticed a group of cats just at the edge of the forest. They were most likely a border patrol of a hunting party. The two quickened their pace and slowed down once they reached the forest.

"Where are we supposed to meet Echopaw?" Rainshadow asked, keeping his voice down.

"At the edge of camp… We still need to get the barn scent out of our fur," Redshade pointed out. Rainshadow agreed and they both took a moment to rub their pelts against some strong-smelling plants and the ground. Redshade never liked being covered in leaves and mud but it was necessary.

Once they took care of that, the toms continued towards the camp. "We should probably hide out in a nearby tree until we spot her." Rainshadow nodded.

The two toms hid in the thick bramble near the camp when they got close. Through the plants, they were able to see right into Forestclan camp. But at their current position, it was only a matter of time before they were noticed. Probably being a little too close, they backed up and climbed a tree so they could spy inside but from a much better distance. "Now we just wait for Echopaw," Redshade whispered.

After a while of waiting, they finally saw the silver she-cat walk casually out of camp. Once she was out of view from the Forestclan cats, she began searching around her, looking for Redshade and Rainshadow. The two toms jumped out of the tree to greet her.

"Good timing," Redshade meowed to the apprentice.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting," she said shyly. "So what's the plan?"

Redshade cleared his throat before speaking. "At first, I was thinking we should just sneak into her den but there are too many things that could go wrong if we do that. So then I got a better idea: Echopaw will tell Icestar she found a special herb or something and lead her out of the den and over here. Far enough from camp so no one will be able to overhear or see what happens. Then Rainshadow and I will come out. Even with nine lives, she won't be able to take on both of us. Then we simply bring her back to the barn and discuss dividing the clan."

"I hope you thought that part out," Rainshadow scoffed. "Even if the plan works, she'll just say that it was Starclans' will and everything she's always been saying."

Redshade smirked. "Don't worry; I thought everything through."

"Hold on," Echopaw interrupted. She looked nervous. "I don't know about this… I mean… I have lying. And I don't think I'm very good at it… It all seems a little too… devious."

Redshade turned to the young apprentice. "Echopaw, you know how important this is. And I know you can do it," he said with a warm smile.

Echopaw looked at her paws for a moment then back at the red tom. "Alright. If we're going to pull this off, I better go now."

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Icestar ran into her den and sidestepped away from the entrance, panting. The group of cats who just left camp and Oakpaw has been following her like an angry kit. He kept demanding to go along and bombed her with all sorts of crazy ideas and suggestions (all ended with him somehow running into Rainshadow). She tried countless times to tell him to leave or bother someone else but Oakpaw just ignored the crucial fact that she was the leader. Icestar eventually had enough of it and decided to go with Plan B: run and hide. In hindsight, perhaps her own den wasn't the best place to hide.

Icestar shook her head and warily dropped into her nest. She was determined to enjoy the small window of peace.

A few heartbeats later, Icestar heard the sound of paws coming towards. Panicking, she dug her claws into the ground and stared at the entrance, hoping Oakpaw didn't find her already. To her relief, the cat was Echopaw. She released her claws and relaxed.

"Hello Echopaw. What do you need?"

The apprentice wore an excited expression. "I just found a really great herb and I wanted to show you."

Icestar tilted her head. "Why don't you show one of the medicine cats? I don't plan on going herb hunting anytime soon, Echopaw."

"It's more than that," she insisted. "The herb; it uh, it attracts, um, mice!"

"What? How could a herb possibly-"

"No time; you need to come see it now. Please."

Icestar sighed and pulled herself to her paws. "Alright, lead the way," she meowed tiredly. "But let's make it fast."

Echopaw nodded and padded out of the den with the leader following. They walked out of camp and into the forest. During the night, it was difficult to see ahead very far so Icestar was relying on the apprentice to not forget where the _special herb_ was.

When they got decently far, Echopaw stopped and turned to Icestar and just stared at her in silence. She looked increasingly nervous. Echopaw glanced around several times as well.

"Well?" Icestar asked impatiently. "Where is it?"

The silver she-cat opened her mouth to reply but instead of answering, she leaped into a nearby bush, disappearing from Icestars' sight. Now the leader was very confused. "… What?"

"You didn't figure it out yet?" Icestars' heart began racing as she recognized the voice and spun round to confirm her suspicions. "Redshade," she gasped at the sight of the red tom. "What are you doing here?"

Rainshadow then appeared on the other side of her.

"This was all a set up," Icestar growled. "Echopaw; where-"

"Like us," Rainshadow interrupted. "She had enough of Forestclan. We all believe the forest was better off with four clans. She found us and asked to join."

"What?" Icestar demanded, turned to Rainshadow. Echopaw poked her head out of the bush but didn't have the courage to come out all the way. Icestar opened her mouth to say something to the apprentice but nothing came out.

"Looks like you lost this one, Redshade said calmly. The white she-cat turned back to him. "Are your other rebel friends here too?" The asked coldly.

"Nope," Redshade answered. There was no point in hiding it. "They're back at our… base. But don't try to escape. It's three against one and you can't outrun us in the forest."

Icestar couldn't stop herself from smiling. The rebels all looked quite surprised when she did. "You're wrong," she said quietly. "It's _you _who lost this one."

"What are you talking about?" Redshade dared ask.

"You left poor Mapleshine and Greyshadow all alone at the barn."

Redshade couldn't hide his shock. "How did-"He was cut off.

"I knew you were at the barn all along; hiding in the place I used to call home; how brave," Icestar commented. "But as you came here to attack me, I sent a while group of cats to attack _you _at the barn! Those two won't stand a chance."

Redshade was in utter shock. He glanced at Rainshadow and Echopaw who also shared his surprise.

"You better decide now, Redshade," the leader said, still smiling confidently. "What'd more important? You're friends or capturing me?"

Redshades' mind was racing. He knew he couldn't win this one. Getting Icestar would cost him Mapleshine and Greyshadow. But if he left now, he might be able to save them. But the opportunity to restore the four clans was right in front of him!

"So Redshade?" Icestar said mockingly. "Which is it?"

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**A/N: So sorry this took so long. I wanted to get this up days ago but I just couldn't finish it in time. I almost stopped the chapter at when Redshade and Rainshadow were leaving the barn and I could have gotten this up yesterday but then I was all like "nahhh, let's make a cliff hanger." I know how much you'd love me for that. xD**

**I'm going to try to update faster now. At this rate, it'll take forever to finish this story. **

**Anyway, please review and thanks for reading.**

**Have a nice day~**


	5. Hide and Seek

_Chapter 5_

"So Redshade?" Icestar said mockingly. "Which is it?"

Redshade didn't- couldn't reply. His eyes were wide from surprise as he glanced at Rainshadow and Echopaw; they were both waiting for an answer from him. When he looked back at Icestar, the look in her eyes was so irritating to the tom. She was confident in the situation and had a cynical smile to show it.

At times like these, Redshade wished desperately that everything would just stop so he could think. The cool night breeze that made its way through the forest only made it seem like time was going by faster.

Sacrifice his friends and restore peace to the forest or possibly save them and miss out on the opportunity. He hated to think about it, but the Forest Clan cats could have already defeated them.

_No, it's too soon,_ Redshade reassured himself. Once he thought back, he recalled seeing a group of cats leaving the forest as they traveled across the moor. At that rate, they should have gotten to the barn not long ago if they hurried. The rebels still have time.

"Icestar," Redshade began at last. All eyes were on him. "You're right; I lost this one," he admitted, quoting the white she-cat. The words of defeat burned in his mouth. He wasn't a prideful cat but Icestars' smirk made it hard to stay humble. "But so did you."

The leader tilted her head. "Oh?" She meowed with amusement. "Why do you say that?"

"Because we will return to the barn and we will save Mapleshine and Greyshadow. Your goal was to stop the rebellion but I simply won't allow it!"

Icestar was suddenly very serious. "And I won't allow you to destroy everything I have worked so hard to create." Her voice was cold and quiet.

With that said, Redshade nodded to Echopaw and Rainshadow. He gave her one last look and they fled the area. Icestar watched them as they left into the shadows of the night.

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Meanwhile, Streamheart, Dawnfall, Pineclaw, Crookedstem, Longpelt and Raventail have already arrived at the barn but they quickly went over the plan before entering. Once they were prepared, the six cats closed in on the barn.

Dawnfall and Raventail climbed a nearby tree, ready to jump into a window. Pineclaw and Crookedstem padded to the main entrance while Pineclaw and Longpelt ran for the back entrance. As planned, Pineclaw and Crookedstem walked in first.

Despite how late it was getting, Mapleshine and Greyshadow were seen in the back of the room, talking. The immediately noticed the two Forestclan cats as they walked in. The expression the two wore was enough of a warning for the rebels. Without hesitation, the two dashed forward and attacked the toms.

Living in the moor made the two cats somewhat faster and were able to strike first. Mapleshine went for Pineclaw and clawed his shoulder and he tried to jump back. Seeing how fast they reacted, the rebels must have already planned what they would do if some Forestclan cats came for a visit.

"Just give up now," Crookedstem hissed and jumped at Greyshadow, attempting to pin him down. The grey tom was tackled and landed on his back but he kicked Crookedstem off and got back to his paws.

"Never!" Greyshadow sprinted towards the tom and raked his claws against his pelt. The brown tom growled and quickly retaliated by launching himself at Greyshadow, sinking his claws into both his shoulders. Greyshadow cringed in pain and bit Crookedstems' leg, forcing him to release.

Pineclaw was shoved to the wall when he tried to attack Mapleshine. Mapleshine was fighting much more intensely than the tom. The Forestclan warrior jumped back at Mapleshine, refusing to give up. Pineclaw clawed at the she-cats' head but Mapleshine ducked in time and slashed Pineclaws' chest. He reeled back to create a distance as he tried to recover from the injury but Mapleshine began to close in.

Pineclaw glanced at Crookedstem who was also not doing so well against Greyshadow. He looked back at him for a moment and nodded slightly.

The brown tom looked back at Mapleshine and suddenly yowled loudly. Mapleshine allowed her confusion to show.

Before anyone could continue fighting, Streamheart and Longpelt entered from the back of the barn and jumped into the battle. Mapleshine and Greyshadow would have to fight two cats off at once.

Knowing they were outnumbered, Greyshadow turned to Mapleshine. "We can't beat them; we need to leave!"

The look in Mapleshines' eyes told him that she didn't want to leave but they had no choice. The two rebels ran up the stairs, heading for the window. The four Forestclan cats followed, not wanting them to escape. But before the cats got close to fleeing out of the window, Dawnfall and Raventail jumped in, blocking their escape route.

"Dawnpaw," Greyshadow gasped at the sight of his daughter.

"Hello _father," _Dawnfall said with a smile that sent shivers down the grey toms back. He and Mapleshine were now surrounded. "It's Dawnfall, by the way."

Greyshadow hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond. He eventually settled on not responding at all.

"Greyshadow," Mapleshine whispered quietly. "What do we do now?"

The tom looked around but all he could see was the cats around him. "I don't know." Redshade, Rainshadow and Echopaw would be busy with Icestar so he doubted they would come to the rescue.

"Enough chatting," Dawnfall growled. "The rebellion ends here."

"Not so fast." All eight cats turned and saw Redshade and Rainshadow have appeared. They ran forward and shoved the Forestclan cats out of the way who were too surprised to defend themselves.

Greyshadow and Mapleshine didn't have time to ask why Redshade returned so soon. The four of them turned to the Clan cats and attacked. Rainshadow tackled Pineclaw, despite being a former Shadowclan cat with him, and added to the injury Mapleshine gave him. Raventail jumped at Rainshadow, stopping him from doing any more damage.

Mapleshine was attacked by Crookedstem. Both cats were hurt so they were evenly matched. Mapleshine landed a blow on Crookedstems' side but he turned and slashed her on chest and part of her neck. The wound was deep and she fell back in pain and landed on her side.

"Mapleshade!" Redshade yelled in alarm and tried to land a bite on Dawnfalls' leg. He missed but she stepped away to dodge it. He jumped forward and slashed her face, making the she-cat cringe in pain. Longpelt and Streamheart came to help her, giving Redshade time to back off.

"Come on, let's get out of there!" Redshade called as the Clan cats were still enduring their injuries. He and Greyshadow supported Mapleshine as the rebels fled down the stairs and out of the barn as the others gave chase.

"I know the perfect place to hide," Redshade said once they left the barn. The red tom led the rebels over to the twoleg nest that rested just beside the barn. In front of the nest were a few wooden steps that led up to a porch. Sometimes twolegs would just sit around on the porch and talk. Redshade saw some doing so not long ago. He also noticed how it was possible to go underneath the porch; a great place to hide in case they ever got attacked.

Mapleshine and Greyshadow were hesitant at first but they finally crawled under after Redshade insisted. Echopaw was already waiting for them. Redshade explained where to go as they ran to the barn. Echopaw, being a medicine cat, left before the fighting started.

They all sat inside in complete silence as they watched the Forestclan cats search for them in the darkness of the night. Once they were out of ear-shot, Redshade noticed he was holding his breath.

The rebels surrounded the injured Mapleshine who was lying on her side at the moment.

"What happened?" Echopaw asked in a soft voice

"Dawnpaw- I mean Dawnfall clawed her in the commotion," Rainshadow said and slipped a quick glance in Greyshadows' direction. The tom was staring at his paws, his face covered in shadows.

Echopaw got closer to Mapleshine, examining the wound.

"How's it look?" Redshade asked her the apprentice.

"Not good," she replied calmly. "I need to find some cob webs right away." She glanced around the area. "This was a good hiding place, Redshade. It's filled with webs." The silver she-cat began gathers cob webs.

Redshade found it increasingly difficult to break his gaze away from the injured cat. Her chest and neck were both bleeding and her breathing was very quiet.

"I need someone to fetch some water from the river," Echopaw meowed, distracting the red tom.

"I'll go," Rainshadow suggested and Redshade agreed. The dark tom would be unnoticeable at night.

"Be careful," Echopaw added before the tom left the porch. Then she directed her attention back on Mapleshine and started padding down the webs onto her pelt. "You'll be alright."

The red tom sighed and looked back at the moor, looking out for the Forestclan cats. He spotted them several times, wandering the field, in a desperate search for the rebels. Icestar would probably be pretty upset if they came back without accomplishing anything.

"Redshade." He turned to Greyshadow when he heard his name. "Icestar knows where we were hiding out. Where will we go now?"

"Icestar will assume we will go somewhere else since she found out about us staying at the barn. It's dangerous but we have nowhere else to go; we'll stay at the barn for the time being." He turned and looked out at the Forestclan warriors as they roamed the moor. "They'll leave soon and then they'll leave the barn alone at least for a while. In the time being, we will need to start searching for another place to hide."

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Sunlight crept into the leaders' den after dawn, gently waking Icestar up from her sleep. She white she-cat stretched out her legs and sat up, looking outside. Only a few cats were up at the moment; how uneventful.

She began to think back to the night before. The rebels tried to capture her but they failed. She had to wonder how her warriors were doing with attacking the barn. They never returned.

_This probably won't be the last time Redshade tries to take the offensive. I need to do something to protect myself. _Icestars' train of thought was interrupted when she hear voices from outside.

She poked her head out of the den to see what was going on and noticed that the patrol she sent out had just returned. She padded over to them.

"Welcome back," she said in a monotone voice. "Well?"

The warriors were all obviously tired and were weakly hanging onto consciousness. They nervously glanced at each other before Dawnfall spoke up. "We attacked the barn as you said but they all escaped." The look on her face clearly told the leader that she was trying really hard not to yawn.

Icestar sighed. Usually, she would be mad that them but had other things on her mind. "That's a shame. While you were attacking, Redshade and Rainshadow came here, trying to capture me. Also, Echopaw joined them."

The news was enough to startle the warriors out of their drowsiness. "What happened?" Crookedstem asked.

"I told them about the raid and they left to save their friends. I suspect that was the reason you failed. And anyway, I can't sit back and wait for them to attack me again."

"Then what do you plan on doing?" Streamheart asked the leader.

"I'm still thinking about it but I'll call a meeting eventually. You should get some sleep." After that, Icestar paced away and back into her den. The white she-cat sat back down in her nest and used her time to think her plans through.

_I can't spend all my time worrying about the next attack, _she decided. _I need someone to do that for me. I should choose a few cats to act kind of like bodyguards, I guess… But I can't call them that; it makes me sound like a coward… Or… Perhaps it can't be helped._

_But who should these cats be? _Icestar thought over all of the Forestclan cats that stood out in her mind. She didn't want too many to take this roll but not too little either. Just a few cats who are extremely loyal and will protect her and the clan at any coast. _But who?_

It really wasn't a hard choice. Dawnfall and Streamheart have already proven to be very loyal. But she needed for then two cats to be in the group.

"Icestar."

The leader looked up and saw Bluefire standing in the entrance of the den. "Yes, what is it?"

The blue she-cat walked in and respectfully dipped her head. She looked slightly nervous. "I just overheard something that I thought you should know about." She waited for a moment and when Icestar didn't reply, she continued on. "I heard some cats talking about trying to overthrow the clan and take leadership from you."

"You have to be kidding me," Icestar muttered, unable to stop herself from saying the blunt comment. "Who said that?"

"I didn't see who. I just heard someone say it."

Icestar shrugged, knowing that if Bluefire really did know, she wouldn't tell her at this point. "Great: just another problem to deal with. Thank you for telling me."

Bluefire nodded and walked out.

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"All cats' old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting!" Icestar called to the members of Forestclan after reaching a decision. Although it took a while, she is satisfied with what she came up with.

The sun was already setting by the time she called the clan together. Leaf-Bare was on its' way but it was still a nice day. There was a light, calming wind blowing through the leaves accompanied by a cloudless sky.

Once everyone was settled, she got straight to the point. "I won't try to hide it: last night, the rebels came here and attacked me." Several cats began to mutter to themselves in surprise but everyone had a shocked expression. "They left and no one was injured but this made me realize something: I have enemies who are after me and I can't be careless. That is why I decided to choose four cats who will be granted a special position in the clan.

"They won't be any higher than a warrior however. These cats' will act more like bodyguards and will perform various tasks for me." Icestar watched the cats below carefully. No one spoke up or objected but some of them looked confused or uncertain.

"I have chosen cats who I believe will protect the clan well." She cleared her throat and began to list off the four cats. "They are Dawnfall, Streamheart, Rockstorm and Bluefire."

All eyes turned to those cats who all had different expressions. Dawnfall stood tall with a proud look and Streamheart looked excited. Rockstorm was surprised and Bluefire seemed confused but they all thanked the leader and accepted the position.

"Now to those four, please come to my den. Clan meeting dismissed," the white she-cat meowed and jumped down as the cats began to continue with their lives.

Before turning to her den, Icestar noticed the deputies, Hawkwing, Wolfclaw and Featherstripe, were whispering together and occasionally glancing at her. It gave her an unsettling feeling but she dismissed it for the moment and returned to her den.

Bluefire, Dawnfall, Rockstorm and Streamheart have already entered and were waiting for her.

"I hope you all will take this position seriously," Icestar told them as she padded to her nest and faced them. "Everyone has some sort of connection to the rebelling cats but I trust all of you will remain loyal; that's why I chose you."

"Excuse me Icestar," Rockstorm said politely. Icestar looked at the tom, waiting to hear what he wanted to say. "You mentioned that we would be during certain tasks for you. What exactly did you mean by that?"

"That could mean anything, really. But in all honestly, there's a lot more I meant to that then what everyone would assume. Bluefire overheard some cats talking about overthrowing me. It's hard to know who to trust in times like these. I hate to say it but one of the deputies might be planning something. It would be your job to find out what."

So-"Rockstorm started with an unsure expression."-you want us to _spy_ on our clanmates."

Icestar sighed. "Yes but this can't be avoided. Please try to understand." Rockstorm avoided her gaze and looked at his paws.

"So," Dawnfall said, changing the topic. "Is there anything you want us to do right now?"

Icestar smiled at her enthusiasm. "For now, I just want the four of you to keep a look out for anyone suspicious and tell me immediately if you hear anything about someone trying to take leadership from me.

"The balance of the clan is in your paws."

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**A/N: Was this chapter really worth the wait..? *sigh***

**Well, I am sooo sorry for taking so long. Three weeks is way too long but I finally found the chance to keep writing. To make up for it, I'm going to update chapters much quicker for a while. The chapters might not be very long at times though.**

**Anyway, according to my plans, things are going to heat up real soon. I really want to finish this story quickly so things **_**may **_**seem rushed. There won't be many fillers.**

**If there are any questions what's'-so-ever, please ask and please leave a review.**

**Have a nice day~**


	6. Learning Secrets

_Chapter 6_

Unlike the cloudless night before, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds and the cold winds blew through the trees with force. Rainshadow dug his claws into the tree branch he was sitting in so the wind wouldn't blow him off. The tom had a thin coat which made the breeze difficult to bare. He desperately wanted to return to the warm barn but he had a job to do first.

It was a simple task; the dark tom was told to go to Forestclan camp and wait in a tree, trying to overhear a useful conversation from below. Was Redshade getting desperate? Surely Rainshadow couldn't learn much by just waiting for luck to strike. Besides: he was getting tired too.

The rebel looked down on the camp. He already made sure to get rid of the barn scent before coming anywhere near the camp and he carefully chose a tree with many branches so he wouldn't be easily spotted, despite being so close to everyone. He was actually only a few fox lengths away from Icestars' den.

He didn't hear anything interesting but he noticed something. As he staked out above, Rainshadow saw a few certain cats constantly went in and out of the leaders den. Those cats were Dawnfall, Streamheart, Rockstorm and Bluefire. He already learned from the recent attack that Dawnfall and Streamheart were often used as Icestars' pawn; more than the other warriors. But why Rockstorm and Bluefire? He vaguely remembers those two stood out when Redshade revolted so he suspected that was the reason but he still didn't understand what Icestar was doing with them.

It hardly seemed like something looking into but he had reason to be suspicious.

_If I'm going to find out anything, I need to get closer, _Rainshadow finally decided. But going down into the camp was far too dangerous. He always wondered if he would be able to get away with casually walking through the camp. Would anyone really notice? But no: it wasn't worth the risk.

The tom was drawn away from his thoughts when he noticed Bluefire and Rockstorm were talking just outside Icestars' den but they were too quiet for him to overhear. Then they both walked into the den together.

_This is my chance! _With two cats going in together, Icestar must have something important to tell them.

Rainshadow quickly scanned around his surroundings, making sure no one was near, then climbed down the tree and swiftly ran behind the Great Rock. Cautiously, he snuck around the rock and stopped next to the den entrance. Luckily, because it was so late, the chances of someone walking by and seeing him were slim.

He closed his eyes and listened to the conversation going on inside.

"Bluefire," Icestar said. "Tell Rockstorm what you told me earlier."

"I was trying to find out who was planning on overthrowing you and I heard Hawkwing talking about it to Thistlescar. He thinks he is better suited to lead the clan and gathered up many cats who back him up. Or at least, that's what they said."

"So-"Rockstorm was speaking. "-you want me to find out if it's true?"

"Yes. I need you to follow Hawkwing around and find out exactly what he's plotting to do," Icestar replied.

"But why me? Why not send someone who is closer to Hawkwing like a Thunderclan cat?"

"It's likely that Hawkwing gathered up cats mostly from Thunderclan so I have no idea who to trust. And everyone knows Dawnfall is very loyal to me so that's out of the question. Also, it wouldn't really matter unless someone spots you. You'll have to make something up so you're not caught."

"Why don't you ask Bluefire then? She's found out so much already."

Icestars' voice hardened. "Because I want you to do it. Is that a problem?"

Rockstorm answered quickly. "No, not at all."

"Good. Besides; I still need the other three to stay here in case the rebels try something."

Bluefire spoke up again. "Since I've been following Hawkwing, I found out that he tends to leave camp at night along with several other cats. I didn't follow him out once he met with them because I thought it would be too risky so I don't know where they meet."

"I want you to keep an eye on him until he leaves camp," Icestar told Rockstorm, "and follow him. I saw him earlier so he must not have gone out tonight. You'll probably have to wait until tomorrow."

"Alright," the tom answered simply and the two cats walked out of the den. Rainshadow backed up in a hurry to get out of their view and stepped on a twig. He panicked and quickly fled into the forest, unsure if he was heard or not.

As Rainshadow ran through the forest, he thought over everything he just heard. _So the clan cats are turning against each other. This will definitely be useful._

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When Rockstorm walked out of the warriors' den the next morning, he was hoping for a clear sky with gentle rays from the sun to warm the forest. But instead, he looked up to see another cloudy day. He idly wondered if it was going to rain.

The tom didn't see Hawkwing in sight. _Good: I can actually enjoy my morning instead of hunting a deputy down. If I can't see him, it's not my fault. I'll just wait for tonight._

The brown warrior padded over to the fresh-kill pile and picked up a rabbit. He would much rather eat a rabbit than I fish or a frog any day.

He glanced around the camp and spotted Blackspot and walked over to the tom. "How are you?" he asked after dropping the rabbit by his paws and sitting down.

Rockstorm noticed the spotted tom looked nervous. He was digging his claws into the dirt. "Fine," he meowed plainly.

"I doubt that. What's on your mind?"

The tom sighed and answered. "I think Flowerfrost is going to have kits soon."

"Really? That's great!"

"But what if something goes wrong? I don't…" His voice trailed off.

"Nothing's going to go wrong. Come on, let's go visit her." Rockstorm headed for the nursery after finishing his rabbit before Blackspot could argue.

When he walked in, Rockstorm noticed that Heatherwish was already by the queens' side. Even though the clan has several medicine cats, it's no surprise only Heatherwish was there. I queen needs a cat she can trust.

"How's it going?" Blackspot asked nervously.

"Great," Flowerfrost answered. They might even come today."

"Wow," Blackspot meowed, unsure of how to react. His expression told Rockstorm that the tom was very excited.

The brown warrior glanced at the other queen, Silverheart. From the size of her belly, it looked like she was close to having kits too. "It'll be nice to have some kits running around again," Rockstorm mentioned. There have never been such a small amount of kits in the forest before. And by _small amount_, he meant none.

Seeing at the four cats began talking amongst themselves, Rockstorm began to feel awkward, standing in silence, so he said goodbye and walked out of the nursery.

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When night fell, Rockstorm waited for Hawkwing to leave camp and followed him out. He noticed several cats leave the camp without speaking to anyone but he was ordered to just watch the deputy. The brown tom had to stay out of sight even before Hawkwing left in case he spotted him.

Rockstorm followed the tom outside of camp. From the way they were heading, it seemed like they were going towards the told Thunderclan camp. How appropriate.

Just before entering the camp, Rockstorm went around Hawkwing and leaped into a tree by the very edge of camp. He was able to see everything and was shocked to see how many cats showed up; at least a normal clans' worth. He noticed all of the cats were from Thunderclan.

He watched as Hawkwing talked in and all the cats quieted down and turned to him.

The deputy didn't bother to say welcome or anything of the sort. He just went straight to the point. "We've gathered her many times before but at last, it is almost time to execute the plan. Icestar is not the right cat for the job. And soon, she will be replaced. Since she's so busy with poorly handling the rebel nuisances, she won't expect an attack from inside the clan. And it will all happen tomorrow."

_Tomorrow?! _Rockstorm repeated in his mind, almost losing his balance in the tree.

"Hawkwing," Thistlescar interrupted. "Perhaps you should go over the attack plan now instead of tomorrow."

The tom nodded and turned to the others. "It won't take long to take over since it would be so unexpected. We need to find Icestar alone and simply use her as hostage. I'll make an announcement to the entire clan, saying I'm taking over. For those who are loyal to Icestar, they will have to decide to obey or else Icestar will pay the price."

_That doesn't seem like a very well thought out plan,_ Rockstorm thought. _Hawkstar, you're losing your edge._

"But how are we going to find her alone?" Rockstorm recognized the cat who was speaking to be Spottedfire. "She just got those new bodyguards…"

"I could easily distract them," Hawkwing replied confidently. "I can send them hunting or something. They may be her personal warriors but they can't ignore a deputy's order."

"But those cats are probably extremely loyal. I don't know if they'll obey you or let Icestar get hurt," the tom added.

"What could they do? But now that I think about it, it would be better to just kill them off before this happens… Yes, I'll send them out hunting and then I'll send a patrol to kill them. Simple."

_How can you say that so bluntly? _Rockstorm shouted in his head. This news was a lot to take in for him. He felt like backing up so he could feel safer but he acted without putting any thought into it. His paws slipped and Rockstorm fell onto the ground below, making enough noise for everyone to hear.

"Who's there!?" Hawkwing demanded.

_Oh no. I'm dead. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead… Wait- maybe not. Maybe I can pull this off." _The warrior stood up and shook some twigs off his pelt and revealed himself to everyone, trying to look as casual as possible, but still serious.

"Rockstorm," the deputy growled. "What are you doing here?"

All eyes were on him. He hoped his fear wasn't showing in his eyes. Rockstorm cleared his throat. "I came here to find you, actually. I know about your plans and I- I want to join you."

Hawkwing didn't believe him for a moment. "You're one of Icestars' guards. You grew up with her. How can you possible expect us to believe you?"

The warrior just made up lies as he went along. "I never liked her. She's too soft. We'll never get rid of the rebels if Icestar stays in charge. Please let me help you." His expression didn't change so he went on. "I was actually thinking about doing something like this myself since I really don't think Icestar is fit for the job. The only problem was I didn't want to lead the whole clan either. So learning about this was just perfect. I know you probably won't believe me because of my background…" He trailed off.

Hawkwing narrowed his eyes and Rockstorm held in a smirk. The deputy was a proud cat. Rockstorm knew that if he said something like '_I know you won't believe me',_ that would make Hawkwing want to prove him wrong.

"How did you find me anyway?"

"I overheard some cats talking about it-" he replied, now getting more nervous. Bluefire had to hear it from someone but I hoped no one would start wondering who mentioned it."-while I was hunting," he added, not missing a beat. It would make more sense to talk about such a topic out in the forest instead of at camp.

Hawkwing stared at the tom for a while. Rockstorm was wonder how many heartbeats have passed since someone last spoke.

"Very well," he said at last. "Did you hear anything I said before?"

Saying yes would make things simpler but he wanted to be believable and shook his head.

"Fine; Thistlescar will sum it up for you." He turned to the others. "Everyone must come and meet her at Sunhigh tomorrow. That is all." And with that, most of the cats began to leave back to camp.

Meanwhile, Thistlescar explained just about everything Hawkstar said earlier to Rockstorm but he wasn't really listening since he already heard it once. Instead, Rockstorm was scanning over all the cats still in the area, trying to remember as many as he could. Out of everyone who came, only a few Thunderclan cats were missing but he couldn't name them. It was a shame that almost a whole clan thought Icestar was a bad leader.

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Rockstorm forced himself to walk slowly, as if he wasn't in a rush to get back to camp. He wanted to tell Icestar everything as soon as possible but he couldn't give anything away even if no one was watching. You can never be too careful.

Even after the warrior returned to camp, he couldn't let anyone spot him going into Icestars' den. If someone from before saw him, they would know he was lying about wanting to help.

Rockstorm waited until almost everyone had fallen sleep and risked walking into the leaders den. He hated coming in at such an awkward moment though. When he padded in, it looked like Icestar was sleeping.

"Icestar," he said in a whisper. That was enough to grab her attention. The white she-cat looked up at him with groggy eyes.

"What?"

"Bluefire was right; Hawkwing is planning to overthrow you; tomorrow, actually." Icestar kept staring at him, expecting more information. "He has most of the Thunderclan cats with him. They met at the old Thunderclan camp and discussed the plan. Hawkwing wants to force everyone to obey him by taking you as a hostage. He also plans on killing Dawnfall, Streamheart, Bluefire and me." He searched his mind, looking for anything he didn't mention yet.

Icestar sat up, looking more awake. "Good job," she said, holding in a yawn.

"Oh yeah," he added, just remembering something more. "I had to uh, approach him for… certain reasons and he now thinks I'm on his side."

The leader looked impressed. "Your efforts won't go to waste. You said this is happening tomorrow? We'll need to act fast. I'll probably have to confront him head on, just before he attacks or else he'll deny everything." Icestar looked at her paws, deep in thought. A few heartbeats passed before she remembered Rockstorm was still in the den and looked back at him.

"Thank you. You can go now," she meowed. Rockstorm nodded and strolled out of the den, looking forward to collapsing into his nest after such a long day.

Usually, the tom would wonder if he was doing the right thing and all sorts of questions like that but at the moment, he was too tired to do anything other than sleep.

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**A/N: That took a while to write.**

**Well, the next chapter has some fun things in store, wouldn't you say? Yeah.**

**Oh by the way, I was thinking about having a chapter just from Starclan cats' PoV; most likely Cloudheart and/or Ashstar. Of course, I'm not sure if it'll take up a full chapter so I might not add it at all: your thoughts?**

**Also, Flowerfrost will have her kits in the next chapter too. I had nothing planned for names so I figured I'd let you people give some suggestions. What should the kits of Flowerfrost and Blackspot be named? Thanks for reading!**

**Have a nice day~**


	7. Traitors

_Chapter 7_

Despite what Icestar had planned for the night, the next day was quite peaceful. There were few clouds in the sky and a soft breeze occasionally swept through the camp. Since Leaf-Bare was coming, a day like this was rare.

The white she-cat stood by the entrance of her den and glanced around. She hasn't done much yet and was hoping to strike up a conversation with someone. However, she never got the chance when the leader noticed a group gather around the nursery. Curious, she padded over.

"What's going on?" She asked whoever happened to hear her. She had to ask but already had her suspicions.

The cat standing next to her, Lilypool, turned and answered excitedly. "Flowerfrost is having her kits!"

Icestar turned back to the nursery, trying to see past the cats that gathered outside. It wasn't a surprise to see so many cats come over once they heard about kits. There haven't been any in the forest for a while. Obviously, the medicine cats made the group leave for the time being so they wouldn't crowd the queen. Flowerfrost sure had a lot of friends.

Being the leader, Icestar slipped through and made her way to the entrance of the nursery.

"Icestar," Flowerfrost said from inside when she saw the white she-cat. "Come in, you have to see them," she insisted. Blackspot was sitting next to her.

Icestar walked in quietly, over to the queen who was licking two kits' pelts. There was a speckled grey tom and a black and white she-cat.

"Did you name them yet?" The leader asked. She tried to act calm but was actually filled to the brim with joy. She was happy for Flowerfrost and it was good to have kits running around the camp again.

"Not yet," Blackspot answered.

Flowerfrost paused and looked up at her mate with a large smile. "I thought of the perfect names," she announced and continued, now looking back on the kits. "Let's name the she-cat Hollykit and name the tom Ashkit."

"You mean like Hollytail and Ashstar?" The tom meowed. The queen nodded. "Those are great names. What do you think, Icestar?"

Icestar looked at the two small cats. Their eyes were still shut and they occasionally stumbled over their own paws as they tried to make their way over to their mother.

Naming the kits after the previous deputy and leader was something Flowerfrost would think of. Icestar had to admit that the two did resemble the fallen warriors in a way. Icestar began to remember how much she missed them though she never actually forgot. She hoped that heart-aching feeling wouldn't return every time she sees the kits.

"Those names suit them well," she answered simply.

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Bramblestripe stepped outside the warriors den and looked over to the nursery just in time to see Icestar disappear into the gathering cats. She desperately wanted to see the kits but knew it would have to wait until later. Perhaps it would be better to go another time anyway so she wouldn't have to deal with the mob.

With one last glance, she turned around and padded around the den before quickening her pace and running through the forest. Bramblestripe didn't have to run very far before reaching her destination.

"Glad you could make it," Rowanpelt said when he saw the she-cat come forward.

Bramblestripe simply nodded and walked past the brown warrior.

"How are you doing, Breezetail," she asked casually to her brother.

The tom turned to her and replied, "Fine." He wanted to get to the point. Breezetail, Bramblestripe and Rowanpelt made a habit of meeting every once in a while. It always felt a little uncomfortable to be constantly surrounded by so many cats despite being clanmates.

When Rowanpelt walked over to Bramblestripes' side, he gave her a worried look. On second thought, maybe worried wasn't the best word to use as a description. She could also say he looked uncertain or nervous. But the striped she-cat didn't know why.

"Breezetail," the tom began, grabbing his friends' attention. "I couldn't help but notice that something's on your mind."

Breezetail blinked and smiled. "Nothing can get past you," he muttered.

Bramblestripe was ashamed that she wasn't able to notice before. In retrospect, Breezetail did seem distracted but it never registered until Rowanpelt mentioned it.

"It's about Icestar," Breezetail added and looked over to his sister when she let out an accidental sigh.

Seeing as both cats where now on her, Bramblestripe felt pressured into explaining. "Well it seems like she's all you talk about now," she said timidly. One wrong word and Breezetail could easily get offended or angered.

Breezetail shut his eyes for a moment like he was clawed across the face. After a moment of awkward silence, he looked at Bramblestripe again. "You're right," he admitted. "Ever since she combined the four clans, I've been so confused. I-I always loved her but she's not the same cat," the tom said quietly, avoiding anyone's gaze. "Haven't you noticed? At times she'll act the same as before but when it's about the clan, she turned into a totally different cat. I don't know how that happened; I don't know why. But I want to help her even if she doesn't want my help." Breezetail looked up at the two with determination shining in his eyes.

Bramblestripe and Rowanpelt were silent for a moment before the she-cat broke it. "What do you plan on doing about it?"

Breezetail flinched. "I have no idea." Noticing the expression on the cats' faces, he continued. "I just want to help her… Look: I know that something's not right. Everything may seem peaceful and bright but I have a feeling that something dark is also happening."

Bramblestripe tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Her brother groaned, obviously having trouble explain what he meant. "Like…" He paused, scrambling through his mind for the right words to say. He decided to change the point he was getting to, unsure how to fully explain his last statement. "She's changed; we all see it. I don't know who this part-time impersonator is but Icestar needs help fighting back. She needs to wake up."

"Have you thought any of this through?" Rowanpelt asked calmly. "You need to have a plan if you're going to do anything."

The tom shook his head. "I don't really know what I can do right now. I'm kind of just waiting for something to happen," he meowed.

"How about you make something happen yourself?"

Breezetail looked up at the tom, not knowing quite how to reply. The thought didn't occur to him before.

Bramblestripe wasn't sure what Breezetail was trying to do by his vague explanation but she somehow understood his feelings and agreed. They needed to save their friend for whatever sort of darkness has trapped her.

"And how are you going to do anything for Icestar if you're always avoiding her?"

Breezetail didn't respond. He probably wasn't sure how to. Being around the leader always made the tom get nervous.

"Um, don't worry about it," he said with a forced smile. "It'll be fine."

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The day went by a little too quickly for Rockstorm. That's what happens when nothing out of the ordinary happens: everything fades together and in the end, a whole day will only feel like a few heartbeats. And anticipating something that was planned to happen later in the day never helped. It seemed like all the time between that awaiting moment and the present went by faster than it should.

As the sun was setting, the brown tom left camp and padded through the old Thunderclan territory. He somehow managed to convince Hawkwing that he was on his side but hopefully, he won't have to keep up the act for much longer.

Icestar already went over everything before he left the Forestclan camp with him and the others. Hawkwing had no way of knowing that Icestar was onto him so Rockstorm shouldn't be nervous but he was. He didn't like to lie unless it was absolutely necessary and jumping into necessary situations like this wasn't something he liked to make a habit of.

It was right before Sundown when the warrior arrived at the Thunderclan base. He was one of the last to come and everyone else was already gathered around Hawkwing, waiting for him to address them. Once a couple more cats came in, the deputy began.

"It seems that everyone has arrived," he started scanning the cats. "I'll explain what we're doing one more time. We'll simply go straight into the camp and surround Icestars' den. I'll go in and we'll bring her out in front of the entire clan as our hostage, forcing them to give leadership to me. Before that begins, I'll send out a smaller ground to hunt down those pesky guards who I all sent hunting."

That much was true but since Icestar knew his plans, she told them not to go just in case. In fact, they would all be coming with her to greet Hawkwing later.

"Now of course, I've thought this trough more then I'm letting on but if I explain everything, we'll run out of time." He paused and glanced at the sky. "It's just about time. Let's go."

_What is he doing?_ Rockstorm couldn't help wondering. He doubted Hawkwing really thought it all through and he expected the deputy to at least give some sort of motivational speech to his followers but no.

Rockstorm realized the others were already following Hawkwing out of the camp and quickly went after them. When Icestar intervenes, he hoped the scene won't be too uncomfortable.

The brown tom was trapped in the middle of the small army of cats that marched towards Forestclan camp. He couldn't see anything in front of him except for more cats. They all looked confident in what they were doing? How could they have so much confidence in a cat like Hawkwing?

Rockstorm noticed he recognized every cat around him. There was Spottedfire, Mudfoot, Swiftpelt, Thistlescar, Fernpetal, Thornear, Lionpelt and several other cats from Thunderclan. Not surprising.

Without warning, the cats in front of him stopped abruptly, causing anyone who was caught off guard to almost walk into the one ahead of them. Rockstorm stopped himself short of stepping on Lionpelts' tail.

He tried to look through the crowd so he could see why Hawkwing suddenly stopped but to no avail. He had to depend on his hearing to understand the situation.

"About time you show your true colors," a voice said. Rockstorm knew the cat who was speaking was Icestar.

"I-Icestar," Hawkwing began. He was cause completely by surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing," she replied. The leader was obviously messing with Hawkwing now. She knew what he was doing but chose to listen to his excuse anyway.

At this point, Rockstorm was able to squeeze himself through the group so only a couple of cats where in front of him. He had a much better view of the situation now. Just as Hawkwing had many cats behind him, Icestar was also followed by a large group. He spotted Bluefire, Dawnfall and Streamheart near the front. Probably to prove that she already knew about his plan.

Hawkwing cleared his throat before replying, probably to stall for a moment. "I'm just leading a large hunting party," he lied. "Since the territory is so large now, I figured the parties should be larger too."

"Oh?" There was amusement in the she-cats voice. "In that case, I'm just hunting too. Did you catch anything? I just caught a whole clan-full of prey." Rockstorm stopped himself from chuckling at the last heartbeat as he glanced at the cats around him. They all tried to look calm but their eyes showed how nervous they truly where. He could easily imagine the thoughts spiraling through their heads.

_We've been caught. Did Icestar always know about the plan? Is there a spy among us? What will Hawkwing say? Can we get out of this alive?_

Hawkwing looked unsure of how to respond to Icestars' comment. Seeing as he wasn't going to say anything, the leader continued.

She looked past the tom. "It's saddening to see so many traitors. Dawnfall-"she turned to the she-cat standing next to her-"what do you think is the appropriate punishment for treachery?"

"I can think of many ways to deal with them," the orange cat responded with a smirk and her claws unsheathed.

Icestar turned back to Hawkwing. "You look surprised. You're probably wondering how I found you here, right?" He didn't reply. "Well I had a little help but that's aside the point."

Inside Rockstorm, he knew many cats must have been suspecting him but he was glad Icestar didn't reveal anything. Otherwise, they might come back for revenge or something for spying. At the moment, there was no real proof.

"I don't know what you're-"

"Save it," Icestar growled, cutting off Hawkwing's desperate attempt to save his pelt. "I know you've been plotting to overthrow me but that's pointless now. Besides even if you were to get away with it, using me as a hostage is such a cowardly way to take over. Why don't you try with your own strength and your own power?"

"Don't lecture me, Icestar," the deputy demanded. "I don't need you telling me how to get things done. I've been a leader longer than you have."

"Then you should have more confidence in your ability. But if you don't that's fine too. But how else will you prove to the clan that you have the right to lead them?"

Hawkwing glared at Icestar for a long moment. No one spoke a word before he finally spoke up. "Fine," he said quietly. "I'll just take you out myself!"

After being embarrassed and humiliated, Hawkwing charged at Icestar. As the raging cat got closer, Icestar stayed completely still. Rockstorm got tense, wanting to jump in and stop the deputy but couldn't in his position.

A tails' length away from the leader, Hawkwing raised his claws only to be slashed on the side and shoved onto his back. Dawnfall was the one who clawed him and Streamheart stepped in and pushed him away. Bluefire stepped in front of Icestar to take a hit if the two failed to stop Hawkstar.

Dawnfall had no problem attacking her former leader.

The tom looked over to the cats who protected Icestar with rage. The three of them stepped out of Icestars' way when she walked towards the fallen deputy.

"You see? You tried to use your own power only to be stopped by mine," she meowed with a mocking expression.

Hawkwing didn't bother hiding the hatred that covered his face as he dug his claws into the earth. He eventually stood back up and turned to the cats standing behind him. "If you consider them to be _your power,_ then let me show you mine. I didn't want to take over with bloodshed but I guess it was unavoidable."

"You just don't know when to quit," the white she-cat muttered.

By signaling with his tail, Hawkwings' followed charged forward. Everyone behind Icestar did the same.

Rockstorm was the only one who didn't run into battle. He watched as the two sides collided followed by growling and hissing as they fought each other viciously.

"Rockstorm," one cat said. Mudfoot escaped the frenzy and noticed the brown tom standing on the sidelines. "What're you doing? Fight someone, already!"

Rockstorm didn't reply but just started at the tom. If he attacked his allies, they would just attack him back, mistaking him for an enemy. If he attacked the traitors, it would be just like yelling out _hey, I was the spy! _

Rockstorm simply shrugged. What are you going to do if they found out? Sure he would be in danger but anyone who attacked one of Icestars' guards would have the deal with the others.

"Sure thing," he said in reply to Mudfoot before running at the tom and clawing his chest. Mudfoot was taken off-guard and couldn't defend himself.

Whether Mudfoot understood why he was being attacked or not, he fought the tom back. Rockstorm was bit on the left leg and clawed on his side but Mudfoot was also hurt.

Rockstorm managed to make a considerably deep cut on his chest. Mudfoot backed up as blood dripped from his pelt. Seeing as he was losing the fight, the tom escaped into the chaos. Rockstorm didn't know if he fled to scene entirely or just found another opponent but that didn't matter.

He made his way through the battle, searching for someone who may have needed help. The tom ended up finding Icestar and Hawkwing fighting but he didn't interfere to help out the leader.

Surrounded by the ongoing battle, Hawkwing launched himself at Icestar who countered by latching her laws into his arms and throwing him in another direction. The tom was unfortunate enough to land on a rock. He flinched at the pain but forced himself onto his legs.

As he was still trying to gather up some strength, Icestar moved quickly and clawed his chest. Hawkwing fell onto his side, unmoving. After a few heartbeats, the leader twitched slightly.

Rockstorm gasped when he realized Hawkwing just lost a life.

Icestar only looked at him for a moment before turning and glanced around her. The others began to notice was happened and the fighting eventually stopped all together.

"Is this the cat you still wish to follow?" Icestar asked the spectators. "You all gathered because you thought he was stronger than me. I'm willing to forgive those who realize the mistake they made."

Whispers and murmurs spread through the group of cats but no cat spoke up.

Breaking the silence, Hawkwing began to cough a few times before regaining consciousness. He was awake but was still injured from the damage he'd taken. His muscles tensed as if he was trying to stand but up but he continued to lie on the ground.

"Now you all know what will happen if you go against Starclans' wishes. Let's all get back to camp. I'll decide what to do with Hawkwing, and any traitors who still see him as a leader, later."

After a heartbeat of hesitation, the cats began to leave the scene except for Icestar, Bluefire, Dawnfall, Streamheart, Hawkwing and Rockstorm.

The brown tom wasn't quite sure how to take in everything he's just seen. Icestar put on quite the show but whenever she spoke of punishment, he began to get nervous even though he wasn't the one in danger. Something told him that whatever she had in mind was worse than just doing simple tasks for apprentices.

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**A/N: That took much longer than I anticipated… Sorry for the wait.**

**The kit's names, Hollykit and Ashkit, where thought up by Blizzardblitz. I slightly changed their appearances though. Thanks for the help, everyone!**

**Remember important characters such as Breezetail and Shadowthorn? I feel terrible about not adding them in recently. I've been totally neglecting them but this is probably the most difficult story I will ever right. I have so many things going on, so many characters; I can't keep it all straight. Bear with me on this. I also fear I'm rushing this too much…**

**But one thing is certain: I'm never writing a one-clan story ever again. ,**

**Well thanks for reading and please review!**

**Have a nice day~**


	8. Preparations

_Chapter 8_

The sun shined brightly upon the grassy field, followed by a cooling breeze. A white she-cat idly tapped her paws into a stream as the sunlight glittered off the water. A few small fish easily swam out of the way and continued down the narrow river.

"Playing with your food again?" a black she-cat asked as she came from behind.

"No," the white cat answered, taking her paws out of the water. "I'm not too fond of fish."

"Alright, whatever you say, Cloudheart."

Cloudheart smiled and turned to her friend. "So what are you doing out here anyway, Hollytail?"

"Looking for you."

"Oh?"

Hollytail nodded. "There's been a lot of talk about your sister."

There it was. Since the four clans combined into Forestclan, Cloudheart has gotten no peace. Starclan finds the idea outrageous and expects her to know what's going through Icestars' mind. But Cloudheart hasn't spoken to her sister since she came to the Moonstone and they ended up arguing about Shadowthorn. Since then, Cloudheart wished she could re-do the whole conversation; maybe if she explained differently, none of this would have happened.

"I know that," the white cat muttered as her relaxed mood vanished.

Hollytail sighed and sat down next to Cloudheart by the stream. "I'm sorry; you've probably been getting pestered about it since it all started… I won't bring it up again."

Cloudheart knew Hollytail was restraining herself from asking questions, unlike many other cats. The she-cat smiled. "Thanks… Actually, I don't mind talking about it with you."

Hollytail turned to the she-cat, shocked. "Huh? Why all of a sudden?"

Cloudheart shrugged and turned her attention to the fish that swam through the stream. "I'm not sure."

The black she-cat decided not to dwell on it for too long. "I wonder why no one in Starclan is doing anything about this. The clans are supposed to stay as four."

"I don't know," Cloudheart admitted. "Someone needs to stop Icestar. She just doesn't realize that what she's doing is wrong."

"She convinced the whole forest that this is Starclans' will. No one will go up against that."

The white she-cat nodded slowly. "We can't just sit back and wait for it to blow over," she meowed. "I'm sure everyone will come to their senses if anyone from Starclan went down there and said something."

"There must be a reason as to why no one has done anything about this. Everyone knows the Forestclan needs to separate."

"Perhaps they're waiting for something in particular," Cloudheart said as she closed her eyes, deep in thought.

The two she-cats sat in silence for a moment as they pondered Cloudhearts' suggestion.

At last, Hollytail spoke up. "We could ask Ashstar."

"Yeah," Cloudheart replied with a nod. "He must know something." The Starclan cats stood up and padded away from the stream and broke into a run as they traveled across the field of grass. They were slightly delayed by the wind blowing in their direction but eventually came to Ashstars' favorite spot in the area.

The grey tom was deep in a conversation with his mate, Mistyfall. They were sitting in the shade of a large rock that slightly resembled Sunning Rock or the Lookout Rock as it bakes in the sunlight. It was a popular resting spot for cats of Starclan. Whether the boulder had a name or not, Cloudheart did not know.

Ashstar spotted the she-cat coming forward and welcomed them. "Hello Cloudheart and Hollytail," he began. "What brings you here?"

"We wanted to ask you something," Hollytail said when she reached the grey cat.

Ashstar tilted his head. "And what would that be?"

Cloudheart answered. "We wanted to ask if you knew why no one in Starclan was doing anything about the merged clans."

Ashstars' eyes suddenly got serious. "I have a theory," he said simply. Mistyfall has a concerned expression probably because the leader of Forestclan just so happened to be Cloudhearts' sister.

The she-cats waited for Ashstar to elaborate.

"I believe everyone is too hesitant to confront the Forestclan cats right now." The she-cats looked confused so he continued. "Some of those cats have become extremely loyal to Icestar. We're not sure how powerful the bond is. They might even defy Starclan for her. No one wants to do something at this point because of that. Perhaps we're waiting for some cats to understand why we need four clans again before acting."

"Then why doesn't someone visit a cat in their dreams who understands?" Cloudheart asked the tom.

"There are just too many variables right now. Everyone must be waiting for someone below to step up."

"You mean like Redshades' rebellion?"

Ashstar nodded. "We have to rely on them until the right moment where Starclan can step in."

Cloudheart looked down at her paws and shifted them through the tall grass. She had the nagging feeling that everything that has happened was her fault. That conversation she last had with Icestar; if only if happened differently. If Cloudheart told anyone about her opinion, everyone would disagree and say her sister would have taken over anyway.

_Well, _the she-cat began in her mind. _If I can't help Icestar, then maybe I can help Redshade._

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Mapleshine sat in a pile of loose hay as Echopaw applied several types of herbs on the wound she got a few days ago. She wasn't very knowledgeable about herbs had no idea as to what the apprentice was putting on the injuring but decided not to ask.

"Unless you re-open it, this wound should heal soon," Echopaw said as she sat back and examined her work.

"I hope so. Redshade will hardly let me leave the barn because he says it's _too dangerous,_" she said with great emphasis.

Echopaw smiled and replied, "at least you know he cares about you."

Mapleshine blinked. What exactly did she mean by that? _No, no, no,_ she thought to herself. _Relax_. She was quick to change the topic. "So do you know when Redshade plans on doing something again? Our last attack on the clan didn't work out too well."

The silver she-cat shook her head. "No. I think he's just giving everyone time to rest as he thinks out a plan. Going up against so many cats must put a lot of pressure on him."

"Not enough to stop me." Both she-cats turned to see the red tom walk into the room. He padded up to them and continued. "I don't want to rush into another battle while you are still injured," he said, looking at Mapleshine. "But on the other paw, I don't want to wait too long. We're in constant danger of being discovered. Icestar could have already learned that we're still here for all we know."

Mapleshine had to agree. They were walking on a thin path at the moment. Icestar had many more cats at her command. Which reminded her; why didn't Icestar send more cats when she attacked them not long ago? Very few warriors raided the barn compared to what could have happened.

The rich brown she-cat stood up and shook some of the hay off her pelt. "I want to get some fresh air," she said and turned to Redshade. "Is that okay?"

Redshade looked somewhat surprised, like he didn't know why she was asking him. "Yeah, go ahead," he said plainly and Mapleshine walked out of the barn.

Every time the brown she-cat left the barn recently, she never went too far but she was getting tired of the never-changing scenery and decided to go farther this time. She doubted many cats from Forestclan went too far out into their territory anyway.

Mapleshine strolled through the moor until the old Windclan camp came into view. She paused for a moment and sighed, wishing all the good times she had in the past would return. Everything had suddenly become so different.

The she-cat continued walking. The farther into the moor she got, the stronger the wind seemed to be. The breeze was falling back on her, making it slightly more difficult to move forward. She didn't mind, however, since it reminded her of her true home.

When she got to the center of the camp, she closed her eyes and imagined everyone from Windclan walking around and living their normal lives. The fond memories brought a smile to her face which disappeared when she opened her eyes again.

Mapleshine turned her head to the Tall Rock and saw a cat was standing by it, looking at her. Her heart began to race, realizing she should have been more careful.

The cat walked closer. She was shocked to see that the cat was actually her brother, Rockstorm.

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked him. It was all that she was able to say since they last met.

"I just came for a walk." He seemed as surprised as she was. "I uh, didn't expect to see you here," he muttered, probably not noticing how quiet he was. Mapleshine had a tough time hearing him because of the wind blowing in her ears.

"Me neither," she replied timidly. They both stared at each other in silence, only able to hear the wind around them until one finally spoke up again.

"How's the clan?" She said, desperately wanting to break the silence. Although considering their positions, their small talk seemed pathetic. Technically, they're enemies after all.

"Uh, fine," Rockstorm replied. "How's the rebellion going?"

What a strange question to ask. "Fine."

More silence.

At last, Rockstorm seemed like he couldn't take holding it in any longer. "Mapleshine, please come back to the clan."

"W-what?" She stuttered, unable to say anything else.

"I see you already got hurt," he pointed out, eyeing the wound on her chest. "I don't want you to throw yourself into danger."

"I can't join! I'm fighting for what I believe in," she said in defiance.

Rockstorm sighed. "I know but if something happened to you…" his voice trailed off. Mapleshine waited and he spoke again but on another subject. "You made yourself an enemy of the whole forest."

Rockstorm was clearly very worried about her. Mapleshine was easily able to see that in his eyes as he spoke.

"Icestar has a lot of power right now," he continued, shifting his weight. "You have no idea how much danger you're in if you stay here. Like what happened to Hawkwing."

"Hawkwing?" She asked. "What happened to him?"

The tom sighed again. "Oh, he tried to take over the clan and paid the price, I supposed. But that's not the point; Mapleshine, this isn't for me to say. I don't want to drag you away from what you want to do but I don't want to see you get hurt either."

Rockstorm seemed really conflicted and Mapleshine shared that feeling. It pained her to be basically fighting against her brother.

"I can't," she said and looked away. A few heartbeats passed before she got an idea and turned to him again. "What if you joined the rebellion?" She asked with hope.

Rockstorm seemed taken back by the request. "I can't do that either. Like I said, you're still in danger by being the rebellion."

"Don't you want the clans to go back to normal?"

He hesitated before answering. "I don't really know what I want… But I think Icestar is a good leader. I don't know about her motives but-"his voice trailed off again.

So that's it: Rockstorm only stayed in the clan because he's loyal to Icestar, not because he agrees with merging the clans. But either way, the siblings couldn't be together because neither of them wanted to leave their position. Was Mapleshine just supposed to deal with it or was there a solution?

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The dark brown tom watched from a distance, staring intensely on the barn. The sun was in the process of setting and the moon was rising behind him. Thanks to the toms' dark coat, it would be close to impossible for anyone inside the barn to spot him, despite him sitting in the open moor.

_How did Icestar not kill them off yet?_ Shadowthorn wondered as the wind blew through his fur.

It has been a few moons since the rebellion started and Forestclan was formed. Such a petty group shouldn't have been able to last so long. What was Icestar waiting for? Why didn't his daughter get rid of them yet? Perhaps she has just been too hesitant since the rebels were all friends of hers.

_She's too incompetent, _Shadowthorn growled in his thoughts. _I have no choice but to step in._

This wasn't too bad though. The exiled tom has already been planning to join Forestclan and put the rest of his clan into action. Despite Icestars' constant begging, he hasn't told her everything about his plan. While he considered it to be perfect, she wouldn't understand if he told her everything at once. It's as simple as that.

"The others are getting impatient." Shadowthorn turned to the voice behind him.

"I can't rush these things, Owlgaze," he replied to the vague outline of a she-cat. She wasn't really there though; just an image.

"But you can't wait too long either," she hissed. "It won't be too long before Starclan interferes. I'm actually surprised they haven't done anything yet," she added, looking off into the distance.

"You worry too much," the tom scoffed. "This plan is foolproof. "No one, not even the rebels, can stop us."

Owlgaze rolled her eyes. "Don't get arrogant. If you make one mistake, everything will be ruined!"

"I know that," Shadowthorn shot back. "Don't underestimate me. No one knows about what I have planned so no one can stop me."

Owlgaze narrowed her eyes. "If you fail, you'll pay the prize. You know how much we've put into this. You already failed once, you know."

Shadowthorn turned away from the she-cat and looked back at the barn in the distance as the sun disappeared and the moonlight lit the sky. "That was in the past," he muttered. "I won't fail again. I promise you."

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**A/N: ****Well, I this was a pretty talkative chapter. We're return to the action soon enough to sit tight. I don't have much to say so I hoped you enjoyed and please review.**

**Have a nice day~**


	9. Breaking Bonds

_Chapter 9_

Redshade, Greyshadow and Rainshadow left the barn and journeyed to the old Thunderclan territory while Echopaw searched the surrounding area for herbs and Mapleshine stayed behind.

After hearing it from Rockstorm, Mapleshine told the rebel leader about Hawkstar trying to overthrow the clan. Since there would not be a lack of trust within the clan, Redshade decided to take advantage of the situation. They went to the base of the betrayal, Thunderclan camp, in hopes of finding someone who would be willing to join. Redshade knew there was a very small chance of actually finding someone. However, he wanted to go anyway. "I'm willing to do anything if it means ending this feud and life returning to normal-"that's what he told her when Mapleshine questioned him. But was it true? Would he really do anything?

The rich brown she-cat gazed out into the field once she stepped outside the barn. She hesitated to move forward for a moment. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind blow up against her face, wishing she could stay there forever.

Mapleshine began to walk away from the barn, using all her willpower not to look back. Seeing the place that was filled with so many memories might waver to decision.

She decided to leave the rebellion. After speaking to her brother, Mapleshine has been wondering what was more important to her; being with her brother or fighting for the future. It seemed impossible to choose since she couldn't say either was _less_ important. It was a difficult decision. Mapleshine could easily sit down and ponder her choice for moons but her longing to see her brother again pushed her forward.

The conflict that spun through her head was unbearable. Would sacrificing her desires for the future of the clans be the right thing to do? Maybe so. Now that she took the first step, Mapleshine couldn't stop, afraid she would regret it later.

Several haunting thoughts crept into the brown she-cats mind. What if she doesn't get into the clan? What if Redshade or someone else from the rebellion finds her on the way out? Would she make up an excuse or tell them to truth?

She shook her head, trying to forget about the possibilities. No matter the outcome, Mapleshine had to try. She hadn't realized how much she missed Rockstorm until she saw him at the Windclan camp. She mourned the days they used to spend together peacefully along with everyone else.

With the wind blowing against her, Mapleshine tried to quicken her pace once she reached the old camp. The forest was coming up in the distance. The closer she got, the faster her heart raced.

_I'm betraying Redshade, _a voice whispered inside the she-cat's mind. Mapleshine flinched at the thought. She truly hated the position she put herself in. It felt like she was bound into an impossible decision, yet being forced to choose despite the pain that followed. _Is this how Redshade felt when he turned against everyone to create the rebellion? _

Tired of these thoughts, Mapleshine focused on her surroundings instead. The wind died down when she stepped into the forest. It was just about Sunhigh. The sunlight easily crept through the dying branches above, leaving many thin shadows on the ground.

She paused and tasted the air, wondering when the next border patrol was. She planned to simply speak to them and ask to see Icestar. Hopefully, they would guide her to the leader at the least.

The rich brown she-cat dared to go farther into the territory. She didn't have to walk very far until she scented another cat nearby. She dove behind a frail bush without making a sound, knowing the cat was right behind her. After taking a deep breath, Mapleshine stepped out to reveal herself. To her surprise, the cat was not one of Forestclan.

_How did I not notice?_ She thought with a mental sigh when the startled Echopaw turned to her.

"Mapleshine?" The apprentice said in surprise. "What are you doing way out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Oh, I, uh, am just looking for herbs."

"All the way into Forestclan territory?" She asked, trying not to scold the young cat.

The silver she-cat avoided eye contact nervously. "Yeah, well it's hard to find herbs in the moor. I didn't think anyone would run into me here. Especially not you," she added quietly. "What _are_ you doing here?"

Mapleshine hesitated for a moment. She should have thought this through more; the moment she had been dreading. She quickly decided to just go with the truth. "… Look, Echopaw: this isn't easy for me to say." Echopaw tilted her head, probably not liking where the conversation was going. "I'm leaving the rebellion."

Echopaw stared at her for a moment blankly, waiting for her words to register. At least she said, "w-what? You're… leaving?" This was obviously a lot for the timid she-cat to take in. Mapleshine doubted she ever expected someone to leave the rebellion.

"Yes," she signed heavily.

"Why?" She asked, locking onto Mapleshine with her big, sad eyes.

"I miss my brother," she admitted. Echopaw stared at her with a surprised expression. She obviously thought that wasn't a good of enough reason to turn against her and the others, so Mapleshine continued. "I don't know if what I'm doing it right or not. But I can't stand the thought of one day having to fight against Rockstorm and I know he feels the same way. Please understand…"

"I-I can't," the medicine cat retorted quietly.

Mapleshine wasn't expecting such a reply. "Huh?"

"I don't understand," she repeated. "How could you choose Forestclan over us? I know you're brother's there but get your priorities straight!"

Mapleshine was stunned. She's never heard Echopaw speak so boldly before. "Echopaw," she whispered and took a step forward, resulting in the apprentice stepping back.

"Echopaw, please," she said again, looking into the young cats eyes. The silver she-cat was obviously very hurt by this and she turned and ran into the forest. "Echopaw!" She called after her but didn't attempt to run after her. No doubt she was going to search for the others.

_Echopaw, everyone: please forgive me._ Mapleshine turned the other way and returned began looking for the Forestclan cats again.

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"That could have gone better," Greyshadow muttered as the rebels padded through the forest.

"What'd you expect?" Rainshadow asked rhetorically.

"Exactly," Redshade replied. "We weren't expecting anything and we didn't find anything; simple as that."

Once they arrived at the Thunderclan camp, they searched the surrounding areas, not finding a single cat. Knowing it was a futile effort, they searched until Sunhigh before deciding to go back to the barn.

"Can we speed it up?" Rainshadow added. "I don't like being here in the middle of the day. I feel like someone could jump out at any moment."

"That's expected to hear from a Shadowclan cat," Redshade teased and shot the dark tom a smile.

The lightened mood between the toms disappeared when Echopaw burst through the bushes with an urgent expression.

Suddenly serious, Redshade was the first to speak. "Echopaw, what is it? What happened?"

"Mapleshine," she meowed as she caught her breath. "It's Mapleshine."

"What happened to her?"

"She- she left."

"Left? What do you mean she left? Like, she left the barn?" The red tom asked quickly.

"No," Echopaw replied, looking at him desperately. "She left the rebellion to join Forestclan."

Redshade staggered for a moment, feeling as if he was just rammed by a Monster. Never in his most paranoid moments did he expect Mapleshine to join Forestclan. There was no way she would truly want to leave.

Redshade turned to Greyshadow and Rainshadow, reading their expressions. They were both waiting for his decision. "We need to go after her," he said at last. Both toms perked up at the news, thinking the same thing. He turned back to Echopaw, who was unreadable as she stared at her paws. "Let's go," he said and ran in the direction Echopaw came from as the others followed.

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Mapleshine began to get nervous once she scented a group of cats nearby. This time, she was certain they were from Forestclan. Before showing herself, she quickly went over the plan in her head.

_Okay, this will be simple. Just say 'hi, I want to join. Please let me talk to Icestar.' No problem. If they don't, I'll argue, if they still don't, I'll run past them to camp and hope Icestar's in a good mood. _Probably a not the best plan but it was all she had.

Taking a deep breath, Mapleshine stepped out and grabbed their attention. "Uh hi," she called, trying to keep herself under control.

The five cats turned to her. They were Eagleflight, Swiftpelt, Raventail, Pineclaw, and, thank Starclan, Rockstorm.

"Mapleshine?" Rockstorm meowed in complete shock. "What are you doing here?" All the cats except for him were suddenly on guard.

"I came to join Forestclan."

"What makes you think we'll let a rebel like you in?" Eagleflight demanded.

"Hold on, it's okay," Rockstorm insisted to the dark tom.

"Don't be so merciful," Swiftpelt jumped in. "She could be a spy."

"I'm not," Mapleshine said a little too quickly. "I swear it.

Raventail spoke up and suggested, "We could just let Icestar decide."

"Or we could just kill her now," Pineclaw added with a smirk, being rewarded by a sharp glare from Rockstorm.

"Come on," Rockstorm said to his sister. "Let's go back to camp."

"Hold it," Eagleflight interjected. "Why not we test her loyalty first?" All eyes turned to the darn brown tom, asking him to explain. "Let's finish up this border patrol and see just how serious she is."

Mapleshine looked at her brother who simple shrugged. "Couldn't hurt," he replied.

"Yeah," Mapleshine agreed. "No problem."

"Alright then," said Eagleflight. "Let's continue." The six cats began walking through the forest once more as they checked the borders. Mapleshine and Rockstorm stayed in the back of the party.

"You're serious about joining?" Rockstorm whispered hopefully.

"Yes, I am," she answered with a nod. "I admit; it wasn't an easy decision."

"Well I'm glad you're here," her brother said with a warming smile, helping Mapleshine feel much more confident.

The patrol soon reached the end of the border they were patrolling. "Great, now we can go back to camp," Rockstorm announced. Everyone agreed and they turned around and began running away from the edge of the territory.

The sound of several paw steps caused the patrol to pause where they stood, only to be confronted by another group of cats. Mapleshine felt herself shrink once she noticed the cats they ran into where the other rebels. She ducked behind Rockstorm and the Forestclan cats.

"It's the rebels," Pineclaw hissed. "It's our lucky day."

"Uh oh," Rainshadow muttered. "Looks like we're gunna have to fight our way out of this."

"It seems so," Redshade agreed, as he tensed himself.

Swiftpelt turned to Mapleshine. "This is the perfect time to test out your loyalty. You take the first strike." She shoved Mapleshine forward, revealing the brown she-cat to the rebels.

"Mapleshine," Redshade whispered in disbelief. "So it is true."

Mapleshine couldn't bring herself to speak. She opened her mouth but no words came out. She probably looked pathetic as she struggled to reply.

"Well?" Eagleflight demanded from behind. "What are you waiting for? Attack already!"

Everyone waited for Mapleshine to make a move. Her mind was racing, unsure of what to do, wishing she could just disappear from sight. She couldn't attack her friends but if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to join Forestclan. If that happened, then Redshade would never let her back in.

From the corner of her eye, Mapleshine watched in astonishment as Rockstorm charge past her and claw Redshades' shoulder. The red tom wasn't expecting him to attack and was unable to dodge it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Pineclaw asked as Rockstorm and Redshade fought.

"What?" the brown tom replied once he dodged a slash from Redshade. "You want to let the newbie get all the glory?" That was apparently enough for the others, as they all ran past Mapleshine and joined in the fight, as well Greyshadow and Rainshadow. Echopaw snuck to the side, unable to join the brawl.

Mapleshine stood back helplessly while the cats closest to her battled. Rockstorm must have taken the first strike so Mapleshine wouldn't have to. He knew she wouldn't be able to attack Redshade.

Redshade, Greyshadow and Rainshadow were obviously outnumbered. The fighting didn't last long before they retreated. Naturally, the Forestclan cats gave chase. Mapleshine forced herself follow. Just as she expected, the rebels eventually found a way to disappear from sight.

There was a short silence within the group before Rockstorm decided to break it. "We should report this to Icestar," he told the others.

"What about her?" Eagleflight asked, giving her a cold glance.

"As I already said," Rockstorm replied, "we'll let Icestar decide." No one argued. Rockstorm was one of the few cats the leader truly trusted. He was one of her guards. While Icestar made it clear that their position in the clan wouldn't give them any higher authority, they were still treated much differently.

Cat's treat Icestars' guards like deputies. No one disobeyed or argued with them. Some cats started saying they could easily replace the three deputies. The guards were respected but more than that, they were feared. They were the strongest link to Icestar, leader of Forestclan. If someone messed with them, it was like messing with her. No one could deny her power and influence.

The six cats padded back to camp. On the way there, Mapleshine began going over what she would say to Icestar. How would the leader react to seeing her? Since Mapleshine was her apprentice, she might allow her back in the clan without a second thought. Or she could have lost all trust for the brown she-cat and command her warriors to chase her out. If Mapleshine doesn't get in the clan, everything that has happened would be for nothing. She would have nowhere to go. At the moment, she had to pin all her hopes on Icestar.

Her thoughts suddenly strayed away and she began recalling the moment Echopaw saw her and when she ran into Redshade. Their expressions were glued into her head. She would never be able to forget the pain she caused them

Mapleshine stumbled over a tree root when she was too deep into her thoughts, which was enough to wake her up and focus more on what was happening. She glanced around and noticed how the others were glancing at her oddly and quickly looked away once she made eye contact with them.

"Are you ready?" Mapleshine looked at Rockstorm, unsure what exactly he was talking about. She then noticed they have reached the camp. Eagleflight, Raventail, Pineclaw and Swiftpelt already went ahead.

Mapleshine looked into the camp and took a deep breath, preparing for how everyone would react at the sight of her. She knew she wouldn't be welcomed but she felt it was worth it to be with her brother again in the same clan.

The brown she-cat nodded and the two warriors walked forward with confidence.

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**A/N: Think back to all the Warrior books you've read. Siblings have always had a strong bond within the clans. Just a reminder~**

**Anyway, I'm very sorry for the long wait but this chapter was hard to write. My first plan was to change POVs like, 5 times but made it simpler, also making it shorter. . . The next chapter is going to come out soon because 1. I'm on Spring Break 2. It's just a filler, aside from the Mapleshine/Icestar conversation. I'm using the next chapter to catch up on some much-needed events that need to happen for future purposes. **

**Once again, sorry for the wait.**

**Have a nice day~**


	10. Weights of Life

_Chapter 10_

Icestar stretched out her legs once she finished eating a thrush and sat up in her nest. So far, it's been an uneventful day. The only thing that happened was Frostpaws' warrior ceremony. She was renamed Frostpath. She was happy, of course, to get her name at last but was obviously upset over getting it so much later than her sister, Streamheart. It was understandable and Icestar did feel bad about putting off. She had her busy schedule to blame but it was a poor excuse.

The white she-cat noticed a small group gathered just besides the fresh-kill pile outside. Curious, Icestar padded over across the camp to see what was happening. When she left her den, Icestar sighed when she spotted Rockstorms' Sunhigh border patrol return. Since they were back, that meant the day was already more than half over.

Before reaching the cats, Icestar listened to what they were saying.

"What makes you deserve it any more than I do?" Stormtooth demanded. Bluefoot, Sunclaw, Snowpelt and Ferncloud stood next to him, backing him up on his argument.

"Well for one, my hunting party did better than yours," Hawkwing argued back. Sparrowfall, Thornear, Leopardfang and Bluefire nodded in agreement. Wolfclaw stood between the two groups, trying to stop their raging but they were too involved in their conversation.

"You did not," Sunclaw replied.

"We caught more than you, if not the same amount," Stormtooth retorted. Icestar almost forgot about the long-lasting feud between her past mentor and Hawkwing.

"You're delusional," Leopardfang growled back.

"And anyway," Hawkwing meowed, "we got to the pile before you, so we should get the last of the prey!"

"Nonsense! We got here at the same time. And besides; we were always better hunters than you so-"

"Enough of this!" Wolfclaw hissed, silences the cats and gathering their attention at last. "Stop this mindless argument, you mouse-brains!"

"What's going on here?" Icestar asked, stepping in.

Wolfclaw was quick to answer before any of the others could. "These two groups both went on hunting parties this morning. Most of the prey they brought back has already been taken and since prey is getting scarce, this is all that's left." The pile only held two fish, a sparrow, and two mice. "They're arguing over who gets it."

Icestar glanced at both Stormtooth and Hawkwing then looked at Wolfclaw. "This I pointless," she started. "Why is there so little prey? It hasn't even started snowing yet."

"Prey already started hiding for Leaf-bare, it seems. I already sent several hunting parties out not long ago."

It always felt uncomfortable to act leader-like in front of her leader but it couldn't be helped. "Well send some more out." She looked at the several cats. "Since you can't reach a decision on your own, then I want all of you to go hunting again. By the time you get back, there should be enough prey for everyone." No one argued but there was a hot, angry air between the cats, Stormtooth and Hawkwing in particular. They began to go in their separate directions after a short moment of silence.

Once they were gone, Wolfclaw signed unconsciously and Icestar glanced at him. "They might never stop fighting," she muttered.

"I haven't noticed any disputes in the clan lately," she pointed out.

"Eh, you don't really notice the small stuff. Featherstripe, Hawkwing and I usually deal with them but Hawkwing is often causing problems."

"I guess he's still mad," the leader said idly with a half-heated smile.

"Guess so. Though, I expected as much."

Icestar nodded and their discussion died into an awkward silence before Icestar broke it. "Well, I need to go… do stuff."

"Yeah, me too," the dark tom replied and padded away.

Since Hawkwings' plans to overthrow the clan were foiled, Icestar decided to keep him in the clan but demote him from deputy. She thought about exiling him for lack of loyalty, but then he would just go running to the rebels and she didn't want them to have a cat with nine lives on their side. Icestar already considered what to do about all the lives he still has since he wasn't a deputy anymore. She couldn't send him to the Moonstone because Starclan would explain everything and he would become a great thorn in her side. In the end, the leader decided to just act as if she forgot about it and not bring it up. She knew she might regret it later but didn't have another option.

Hawkwing was always deeply entwined in the clan; from leader of Thunderclan to deputy of Forestclan. He has many followers and he now has several cats keeping a close eye on him from past events. He couldn't escape the clan even if he tired. Keeping the tom close was the best choice for Icestar at the moment, though she didn't like it.

Icestar sighed heavily. Though she hasn't done much yet, being the leader of so many cats was very exhausting in itself.

The leader turned around, about to head somewhere else but paused when she noticed Rockstorm was standing behind her.

"How long have you been standing there?" Icestar asked, surprised that she didn't notice earlier.

"Not long," he said simply and continued straight to the point. "I came to report the Sunhigh border patrol."

"Go on."

"First of all, we ran into the rebels in the forest." Icestars' eyes widened in interest. "We gave chase but they eventually got away." The leader seemed to have lost interest but she kept listening until the report was over. "We also found someone else who wants to join."

"Huh?" The she-cat surly wasn't expecting to hear such news. "Who?" The leader then noticed that the other cats who went on the patrol as well were standing nearby, probably listening in. From inside the group, Mapleshine appeared and nervously walked over to Icestar.

Icestar was shocked and unsure of what to say. She dug through her mind wildly for the right words to say to her past apprentice. At last, she simply said "let's go inside my den" and she was first to begin walking.

"Wait," Eagleflight said and got closer to the scene. "Is that wise? What if she tried to kill you or something?"

Icestar looked at him then at Mapleshine who looked slightly offended. The thought didn't occur to her but she began to feel uneasy once Eagleflight suggested to possibility. "Fine; Rockstorm, you come too."

The tree cats went inside the leader den. Once they were in, Icestar looked straight at Mapleshine, not knowing what to expect. "Care to explain yourself?"

The rich brown she-cat opened her mouth but Rockstorm jumped in. "She truly wants to join the clan," he said quickly. "She already told the other rebels that she was leaving. I was there when it happened too."

Mapleshine started to add something but her brother spoke over her again. "And she's not a spy either. We spoke about it earlier too. So please give her a chance!"

Once he stopped, Mapleshine managed to speak. "And I-"

Rockstorm cut her off again. "She decided to join because-"

"Rockstorm!" The brown tom turned to her sister. "Please, let me speak."

"Oh… Yeah, sure," he replied blankly, suddenly realizing he had been interrupting her.

Mapleshine faced Icestar. "I want to join because I miss Rockstorm and everyone else. All my friends: I don't want to fight them anymore- I can't fight them. Please, Icestar. I know I won't be accepted by everyone right away but give me a chance." The she-cat looked at Icestar with hopeful eyes. The leader glanced at Rockstorm to see him looking at her in the same way as his sister.

That's only understandable. She couldn't understand the pain of being torn away from a sibling by war but she could understand the pain of losing a sibling. No one should experience such agony.

Icestar looked at the two for a moment as she thought it through. She knew very well what would happen to Mapleshine if she was turned down. She couldn't return to the rebels and would have nowhere to go. She couldn't do that to her apprentice.

"Maybe I'm not just thinking straight," Icestar began, watching closely and the anticipation showed clearly through their eyes. "But I'll allow you back in the clan."

Mapleshine smiled and sighed as if a large burden was just taken off her shoulders. "Thank you so much," she said with relief.

Rockstorm perked up suddenly. "Yes, this'll be great! We're finally in the same clan again," she said enthusiastically and jumped back to his paws. "Come on, let's go tell the others!"

"O-okay," she managed to say before Rockstorm pushed her out of the den. "Thanks," she called before Icestar was out of ear-shot.

And now Icestar was alone in her den. _He never acted that excited before._

Icestar watched as Mapleshine and Rockstorm ran through the camp. She was happy for them. Seeing them together happily reminded her of Cloudheart.

The leader sighed and walked out of her den once again. She walked aimlessly though camp and decided to walk through the territory. She was getting tired of spending so much time in the camp.

The white she-cat idly explored the forest until she reached the Thunderpath. Nothing in particular happened on the way there.

She flinched as a large Monster roared by on the path with amazing speed. She hasn't been to the Thunderpath in quite a while and was never able to get used to the sounds, sights and smells that the path held.

Standing by the edge of the path brought her mind to many moons ago when she and her sister first crossed the path with Ashstar and Runningshade. She remembered how fearless the old leader was when Monsters passed by.

Icestar pictured him running across the black ground as he did back then. The thought of him made her sigh. She never thought she could be a better leader than Ashstar. He was such a great leader. Compared to him, what has she done other than combing the clans?

The white she-cat stared out into what used to be Shadowclan land with several thoughts streaming through her mind._ Wait, why did I come here anyway? _ She thought after realizing she had no reason to come to the Thunderpath.

Before another Monster could race by, Icestar decided to turn around and head somewhere else but before she could move, she spotted a cat on the other side of the path. The cat looked quite young and was running across the path with great speed. At first, she wasn't sure why anyone would be running to fast in such a dangerous area until she saw what the cat was running from. An angered fox appeared and chased after the cat.

As they got closer, Icestar was able to recognize the cat as Oakpaw, Rainshadows' apprentice before he left.

Once learning the danger he was in, Icestar wasted no time and stepped onto the Thunderpath, only to freeze when another Monster flew past. She hurried across the path when it was gone and got into Oakpaws' view once she was safely across.

"Oakpaw, what are you doing here alone?" She demanded as he got closer and closer with the fox trailing behind.

"I'll tell you later," he answered through tired breath. "Run!" The apprentice dashed past Icestar.

They couldn't run from the fox forever. Instead of catching up with Oakpaw, Icestar faced the fox as it got closed in. It stopped running and began walked up to Icestar very slowly with a snarling growl. At this point, Oakpaw noticed what was happening and watched from behind.

Icestar tensed herself and waited for the Fox to move first. The animal didn't wait too long before it lunched forward and snapped its' large jaws at Icestar. However, she was faster and easily jumped to the side and jumped onto the foxes' back and dug her claws into its pelt. The fox wrestled back, trying to get Icestar off.

Oakpaw gathered up the courage to run forward and attack the fox as well. He aimed for the other side of its back but the fox moved as it was focused on Icestar and the apprentice ended landing on the animals head. He was quickly shaken off but managed to claw its eyes when he was tossed to the side.

Before the fox could attack Icestar, she jumped off its side and faced the beast again. Its' back and face were bleeding but the feisty creature wasn't done yet.

"Oakpaw, are you okay?" She asked as she kept a distance from the fox.

"Yeah," he said as he got back onto his paws.

Before he could add more, Icestar swiftly ran around the fox, dodging several bites and snaps it made in attempt to stop her. Without getting hurt, Icestar slashed at the fox's legs but it managed to grab her front leg in its' jaw and the fox threw her against a tree.

Icestar groaned as she tried to pull herself up. She looked at the leg what was bit to see deep bite marks and blood soaking through her white fur.

Loud growls and whimpers caught her attention and the white she-cat looked up, watching as Oakpaw took charge of the battle and latched himself to the back of the animals' neck. The fox struggled greatly to get him off but he was holding on with his all his strength. As the fox was occupied, Icestar forced herself up, enduring the pain in her leg, and ran towards the fox, landing a deep cut when she clawed at its' chest.

The fox yelped and began to flee, still shaking its' head in attempt to release Oakpaws' grip. He soon let go and stumbled over his own paws when he landed back on the ground. The fox disappeared into the marshy plants.

Icestar sat down, taking all weight off her injured leg and sighed heavily. She remained silent until she caught her breath.

"That was reckless, Oakpaw," she told the dark brown apprentice.

He walked over and stood facing her, avoiding eye contact and holding the expression of a kit who was being scolded. "I know; I'm sorry."

"Where is your mentor?" It took her a moment to remember who his new mentor was. "Uh, Mosspelt: where is she?" It's been a while since she gave the Thunderclan she-cat the Shadowclan apprentice.

He shrugged and looked down at his paws, shifting them through the dirt. "I don't know; at camp, probably." He looked up at the leader. "She doesn't really take me out much for training and hunting so I went alone. I should have brought someone with me…"

Icestar was very close to saying something along the lines of _no; you should have been patient_ but she wasn't in the mood to talk to him in such a way. She was just glad he was alright. "I see. Well, you did a good job against the fox. I would have been crow-food if you didn't help," she told him with a smile. The compliment was enough to make him smile back.

"Uh, thank you, Icestar," he replied at last.

"By the way, how is Leafpaw doing?" It's been quite a while since Icestar talked to Oakpaws' sister. In fact, there were a lot of cats that she hasn't spoken to lately.

"She's doing pretty well," he meowed. "Mistystripe was always a good mentor for her."

Icestar simply nodded, thinking everything over.

Oakpaw looked hesitant for a moment, unsure if he should speak or not. He eventually decided to ask "do you think we could become warriors soon?"

Icestar nodded again. "Yes, there is a good chance. You've been apprentices for a while now. Don't be surprised if it happens soon," she told him with a calm half-smile.

Oakpaw suddenly got excited. "Thank you! I have to go tell Leafpaw," he said and slowly started to head to the tunnel that went straight under the Thunderpath.

"Alright, you go ahead," she said and started walking to but she limped down thanks to her wounded leg. Oakpaw paused after noticing.

"Maybe I could help," he suggested, eyes locked on her red paw.

"No, don't worry about it," the leader insisted. "You should go find your sister."

Oakpaw took a moment to figure out what to do. He eventually decided and walked over to Icestars' side. "No, let me help you," he said in a concerned voice.

Slightly shocked by his suddenly change of mind, Icestar agreed at last and the two cats slowly made their way back to camp.

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The sun was setting by the time Icestar and Oakpaw returned to camp. Although, since the sky has become covered in clouds, it was difficult to see.

The camp had become less active and most of the warriors were beginning to settle down. As Oakpaw helped support Icestar on their way to the Medicine cat den, the white she-cat glanced around the camp to see who was around.

She saw Flowerfrost and her kits inside the nursery when she walked by. Ashkit and Hollykit were apparently trying to escape outside but their mother got in the way. Seeing the carefree life of kits brought a smile to Icestars' face. Kits at their age were always trying to spend every second of the day outside with the warriors.

In the corner of her eye, Icestar could have sworn she saw Bramblestripe looking at her but when she turned to make sure, she was gone. Icestar hasn't seen her friends in a while. It was very odd and she couldn't figure out if it was just a coincidence or if they were avoiding her. It was very unnerving at times.

"Icestar, what happened?" The leader snapped back to the moment when she head Heartherwishs' shocked gasp at the sight of her bloody leg. She also attracted the attention of the other medicine cats.

Firestripe was the second cat to notice but he didn't spend any time consoling the leader. Instead, he made a hasty turn back into the den to fetch some herbs for her.

Icestar was brought into the den and told to sit down. Heatherwish thanked Oakpaw and gently told him to leave.

Willowleaf and Goldenfur joined the group and asked details about what happened. Firestripe returned with the herbs, dropped them by his paws. "You should lick some of the blood off first," he muttered, not wanting to deal with it himself.

Icestar agreed without saying anything and began grooming her fur as the Medicine cats' gathered around. Icestar already explained what happened at the Thunderpath in a nutshell.

"So," Icestar started as she softly cleaned her fur. "Where is Nightwind and Coldstone?" She asked after noticing the cats were absent.

"Someone- Spottedfire I think- apparently fell into the river while on a border patrol. He got out okay but wasn't in the best shape to do too much walking so they went over there. He probably swallowed a lot of water," Heatherwish answered. "I hope he's okay."

"So do I," Icestar said quietly. When she finished with her leg, Firestripe began wrapping cobwebs around it and Willowleaf started preparing some other herbs. She chewed some leaves up that Icestar couldn't name and rubbed the juice into her wound, making Icestar flinch from the unexpected sting.

"Sorry," the she-cat said simply and continued sorting through some extra herbs.

"Make sure to stay off that leg for a while," Heatherwish told her as the other Medicine cats left to continue with whatever they were doing before. They all knew Icestar didn't need four Medicine cats working on one little bite wound but they didn't have anything else to do at the moment.

"I will," she meowed. "Oakpaw got hurt too. Why did you tell him to leave?"

"Really?" Heatherwish seemed sincerely surprised. "I didn't notice. I figured he was fine since he was helping you walk. Well in that case, I'll go fetch him."

Icestar nodded and Heatherwish left den. Having no more reason to stay, Icestar left as well.

The days were getting shorter. In the short time she as in the Medicine cat den, the sun was sinking into the far-off mountains, leaving the sky in a shade of purple.

Before she got too far from the den, the former Riverclan cat, Lilyshade, ran into the den and she, Goldenfur and Willowleaf soon ran back out with their jaws filled with herbs. The she-cats headed straight for the nursery.

Icestar watched them leave then turned back into the Medicine at den.

"What was that about?" She asked Firestripe.

"Lilyshade just informed us that Silverheart is having her kits," he said calmly like he has said the same thing several times before.

Considering the great lack of kits in the large clan, this was fantastic news to the leader. She excitedly headed towards the nursery, limping as she tried to keep as much weight off her leg as possible.

Before she could go in, Goldenfur appeared through the entrance with a pile of moss in her jaw, probably going to soak it in water. She dropped it to speak. "Sorry Icestar but Silverheart doesn't want anyone inside until the kits are born.

Icestar wasn't expecting that but she wasn't going to argue over it. The white she-cat stood aside and Goldenfur ran past with the moss while the leader began pacing around in front of the nursery. It was progressively getting darker as she waited.

As Icestar waited outside in boredom, Goldenfur soon returned into the Nursery without a word to the leader.

The clan needed more kits. But more than that, Icestar always enjoyed seeing newborn kits. It was always interesting to see them for the first time and be there as the parents discuss names. Since Icestar was stuck in such a unique position in life, she often doubted she would ever have her own kits.

After a while of enduring impatiens, Willowleaf emerged from the Nursery and said it was alright to come inside now to see the kits.

Icestar eagerly padded into the den and saw Silverheart and her mate, Pinethorn, sitting around a few small kits. The silver she-cat was busy grooming their fur.

Getting a closer look, Icestar could see what the kits looked like. There were three toms. One shared a similar fur design as Silverheart with smooth, silver fur. The second tom was a light shade of brown and the other was a darker shade of brown, almost black, like their father. The darker brown tom was the largest of them all. The forth kit was a she-cat with brown fur and a white belly and tail.

"They're beautiful," Icestar commented, looking down fondly at the small cats.

Silverheart nodded with a smile that suddenly disappeared and replaced with an expression of horror. "Something's' wrong," the silver she-cat whispered.

"What is it?" Pinethorn asked, suddenly alert.

"This kit," she said, motioning to the light brown tom. "He's not moving!"

Several gasps were heard inside the Nursery, including one from Flowerfrost who was watching from a distance with her kits playing in arrogance.

Willowleaf and Goldenfur stepped up to check the kit. They examined the tom for a moment while everyone waited in heavy silence. After a moment, Goldenfur sat back up. "He's dead," she whispered at last.

"No!" Silverheart yelled and scrambled closer to the one kit. "H-how? It's not even Leaf-bare yet," she pointed out and tried licking the kit, hoping he was still alive somehow.

"It seems he was born weak," Willowleaf said mournfully. "I'm so sorry."

Silverheart didn't reply. She kept her eyes locked on the little kit who didn't last long after birth. "Wildkit," she whispered and looked up at her mate. "I want to name him Wildkit. I hope he can run wildly in Starclan with all the clear streams and tasty fish he needs in Starclan."

"That's a great name," Pinethorn said mournfully and sat down next to Silverheart.

After a moment of silence, Silverheart turned to the three kits who blindly bumped into each other, searching for their mother. She guided them over to her with her tail.

"Let's name the darker tom Sootkit," Pinethorn suggested. Silverheart nodded thankfully.

"The silver tom could be named Snowkit," Silverheart said then turned to the brown and white she-cat. "And Petalkit."

"Those are great names," Pinethorn said.

Icestar could tell the parents were trying to not get too upset over to the dead kit and focus more on the live ones but the tone of their voices showed their sadness. The white she-cat had no idea what it felt like to lose a kit right after he's born but it must be a terrible feeling.

Silverheart snuggled in closer to the kits, including Wildkit.

Icestar couldn't take this. The air was full of sadness and it was almost suffocating. She had to get out but didn't want to be rude. Before she said anything, another thought jumped into her mind. She planned to tell the queens something but never got around to it. This would be a terrible time but she couldn't wait any longer.

She glanced at Ashkit and Hollykit, who have now fallen asleep beside their mother.

"Goldenfur, Willowleaf; can I speak to Flowerfrost, Pinethorn and Silverheart alone for a moment?"

The medicine cats gave each other a glance before nodding and walking out.

Icestar faced the three cats. "Okay, I'll just cut to the chase," she started, rewarded with very curious looks from them. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want the kits to hear about the clans before they combined."

No one seemed sure how to respond to what the leader said.

"What do you mean by that?" Flowerfrost said at last.

"I'm asking you not to tell them about the four clans. As far as they know, we've always been one clan."

Silverheart stared at the leader, looking very startled. "You mean… you want us to lie to them?" She looked down at her three kits. Silverhearts' kits weren't able to understand what they were saying and Flowerfrosts' kits were sleeping. It was safe to discuss this around them for now.

"Yes," Icestar said, holding in a sigh. "And make sure you tell the others too. I don't mind them knowing about it when their older since they'll find out eventually but not while they're still so young."

Icestar could imagine the thoughts going through the parents' minds. They were probably wondering _why_ Icestar would tell them to do such a thing. With any other cat, they would go even deeper into it but Icestar somehow got herself quite the reputation with included why no one argued with her.

The three of them remained silent without agreeing or refusing.

Icestar knew they would follow her orders eventually. "I'll leave you be now," she said and started for the exit. "Also, I'll let the clan know about the kits later," the leader sighed and continued outside. While she said she would inform the clan, Icestar needed a moment before doing so.

That wasn't easy to say. And to make it worse, death was heavy. _I guess I can't avoid it even after joining everyone together and ending the war_, Icestar thought to herself. It was impossible to escape loss. Icestar needed to accept that.

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**A/N: Well that took a while to write. I was always a little late on when the kits should have been born but I finally got that done. Yay.**

**Anyway, this wasn't much of filler like I said it would be. Oh well. Everything that happens from here on is pretty straight forward. If I keep at a steady pace, this story will be done in no time!**

**Well thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed. Please leave a review!**

**Have a nice day~**


	11. Returning Shadow

_Chapter 11_

He knew his way around the forest like the top of his paw. Shadowthorn has traveled every tail length of it many times in his life. Getting to Fourtrees was an easy task for the dark tom.

After moons of carefully putting his plan together, piece by piece, it was finally time for it all to come together. Shadowthorn was heading to the camp to join Forestclan and with his daughter as the feared leader, he would be welcomed; there wasn't a single doubt in his mind. The tom got excited just thinking about what he has in store for the forest. So much is yet to be relieved that no one will expect.

Shadowthorn began his plan not long after his kits left the barn, thinking he was dead. He's gone over it countless times, perfecting it in every way possible. With dear Icestar by his side, no one would dare get in his way. Not even Starclan.

However, joining the clan wouldn't be easy. Shadowthorn made quite the reputation when he tried to take over the forest back in his prime. The younger cats would be easier to convince than the older ones who actually remember him. But of course, he already planned ahead.

The dark tom snuck into the forest, moving swiftly through every shadow. The sun was just beginning to rise. The air was cold and the as the sun slowly came out from behind the mountains, the land turned to a shade of light, morning grey.

He wanted to reach the camp by dawn so not many cats would be awake to get in his way. There was still the dawn patrol to worry about but he was able to make an educated guess as to where they would be and easily avoid them.

Shadowthorn paused when he saw the camp entrance in front of him and slipped behind a tree. He squinted his eyes slightly, trying to look as far into the camp as possible. There were a few cats up and more were beginning to awaken. He couldn't waste any time.

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Icestar opened her eyes half way and lazily glanced outside. The sun was just rising so she stretched out her stiff legs and curled back into a comfortable ball to get more sleep.

The leader only got a moment of peace before she heard rushed paw steps outside her den. The silently prayed for whomever it was to go away but to no avail when a cat padded into her den.

She lightly groaned and pushed herself to her paws while holing in a yawn and looked at the cat who came in. Once Icestar recognized him, all tiredness jumped out of her body from pure shock.

"Shadowthorn?" She exclaimed urgently, looking outside to make sure no one saw him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to join," he answered calmly. No hello, good morning, how are you, or anything of the sort. He just went straight to the point.

Icestar struggled to keep her eyes on her father for she was unable to stop herself from looking outside again every few heartbeats. "How are you going to pull that off?" Shadowthorn joining Forestclan seemed like no easy task considering what the warriors would think.

"It shouldn't be hard," he answered confidently.

"Well I can't go along with it unless you're actually going to tell me what you're planning," she replied sourly. Icestar wasn't in the best mood at the moment since she didn't get as much sleep as she hoped for.

"Of course I'm going to tell you. That's why I came here early," he answered. Icestar didn't say anything but just nodded idly. "I'm going to prove myself to them."

The white she-cat tilted her head. "How?"

Her father smiled slyly and began to explain.

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Icestar jumped atop the Great Rock and looked down on the camp with a sigh. Most of the cats were still in their dens sleeping aside from the few that were early risers. The cats who already saw her on the rock began walking towards to see what was happening.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting," she called again. Icestar said the same words only the day before when she told the clan about Mapleshine joining Forestclan and the new kits who were born.

Word eventually spread about the meeting. Several cats went into the dens to wake up those who didn't hear the call. Without having to wait too long, the clan gathered, ready to hear what Icestar had to say.

"This morning, I spoke with yet another cat who wants to join Forestclan," she began as everyone listened below. "However, I am well aware that many of you probably don't like him." She could tell by the expressions of the warriors that they were all very curious about who the certain cat was.

Many gasps of surprise and disbelieve broke out when Shadowthorn stepped onto the rock with his head held high.

The cats began to mutter amongst themselves but Icestar was able to hear a few words such as "Shadowthorn!? I thought he was dead. What's he doing here? Why did Icestar allow this?" and many more.

"Quiet down," Icestar had to say repeatedly until everyone was silent.

"Allow me to explain," Shadowthorn began. "I've made a bad reputation many moons ago before I was exiled. I regret trying to combine the clans in such a terrible way. But now Icestar has done just that but more peacefully. Forestclan was the beginning of a new life for everyone. While I was gone, living alone, I realized something; why can't I start over again like everyone else? So I came and spoke to Icestar about it. I've sworn to but everything behind me and become a new cat. Now all I want is for this clan to become a better place than it was before."

There was nothing but a heavy silence for many heartbeats. No one in the large crowd quite knew how to react to this. There was no doubt that everyone was itching to say something though.

"So that's that," Icestar finally said. "I don't believe any harm could be done but letting him join."

"We can't trust him," one cat replied angrily below.

"Yeah, make him prove himself!" said another.

"That's fine," Shadowthorn answered calmly. "I'm willing to prove my loyalty to you."

The cats broke into conversation once again, all discussing with each other about what Shadowthorn should do.

There were too many different ideas and voiced for Icestar to hear any of them. She wasn't sure how it happened, but moments later, a single cat managed to get his voice to reach over all the others and catch Icestars' attention.

"If he's willing to do anything, then have him fight for his loyalty!"

The white she-cat scanned the crowd until she found who spoke out, not too surprised to see it was Eagleflight who shouted the idea. She was about to scoff at the idea and mention how that wouldn't show ones loyalty until the majority of the cats began supporting the idea. She glanced over to her father, who held a faint half smile that only she was close enough to notice.

"Fine," Icestar said reluctantly. "If that's what it'll take for Shadowthorn to be accepted, then so be it."

"Then fight _me_!" The leader looked down to see a small circle started to form around Eagleflight since he was the one who suggested it. Icestar had no idea what the tom was thinking. Why did Eagleflight want to fight Shadowthorn so badly? Since everyone was interested in the idea, she was forced to go along with it.

Without waiting for Icestar to agree, Shadowthorn jumped down from the Great Rock and faced the tom. The warriors around them spread out, giving them room to battle. Icestar watched anxiously from above, nervous about how it would turn out.

"It's been a while," Shadowthorn said as he tensed his muscled.

"I thought you were dead," Eagleflight said in a low voice with a strange smile.

"I'm obviously not," Shadowthorn replied simply.

"I see that. It's probably all according to your _plan,_ right? You're always scheming something. So Shadowthorn; What are you planning now?"

"Don't you trust me? I'm not planning anything," Shadowthorn said with a twisted grin.

"Save it," Eagleflight growled and launched himself at Shadowthorn with his claws extended. The dark tom jumped to his hind legs, locking claws with Eagleflight and twisting his body so the brown tom was thrown in the other direction.

Eagleflight landed on his paws and skid slightly across the ground. The tom ran back towards Shadowthorn and successfully slashed him across the cheek despite his attempts to back away. Shadowthorn dodged the next attack and jumped forward, sinking his claws into Eagleflights' pelt. The tom yowled in pain and clawed and snapped at him, trying to get Shadowthorn to release.

The dark tom eventually let go and sidestepped being Eagleflight while he was momentarily confused and bit down on his back, making the tom growl again. Eagleflight shook him off and created a distance between them while he caught his breath. Without warning, Eagleflight charged towards Shadowthorn once again, but paused for a brief moment before attacking. Shadowthorn didn't expect it and gave Eagleflight the opportunity to dig his claws into his shoulders and push the dark tom back.

Shadowthorn skillfully fell onto his back and shot Eagleflight off of him with his hind legs before jumping back to his paws.

Eagleflight landed on his side but slowly stood up. He lost some blood in the fight and his legs shook slightly.

"That's enough," Icestar called and jumped down between the two toms. "I think it's obvious who won this," she started but Dawnfall appeared from the crowd and spoke ahead of her.

"A true Forestclan warrior would be able to kill without any hesitation," the orange she-cat stated, staring at Shadowthorn with a cold gaze.

Shadowthorn returned the look and added a slight smirk and walked towards the weakened Eagleflight.

"Hold on," Icestar said and stepped forward but her father didn't even blink as he slashed mercilessly at Eagleflights' neck, resulting in a burst of blood and him falling to the ground.

Icestar opened her mouth to say something but she had no idea what to say. There were concerned whispers from the crowd.

"Eagleflight!" A few cats from the spectators, probably his friends, came forward. Frostheart and Blackcloud came out and rushed over to his side, only to see that the tom was dead. Icestar noticed Wolfclaw was watching and glaring at Shadowthorn from behind.

The leader didn't hear anything about someone dying. Shadowthorn said someone might challenge him but Icestar already planned to stop it if that happened, although she wasn't able to when the time came. But as she watched, she didn't want anyone to die. She wasn't expecting Dawnfall to jump in and tell Shadowthorn to kill Eagleflight. The situation took a terrible twist.

"Well that's it then," Shadowthorn said, glancing around at the cats watching. "Unless someone else wants to fight me too."

No one spoke up. There were still many voices heard deeper in the crowd but Icestar was unable to pick them out or hear what the cats were saying. If she wasn't mistaken, Icestar was sure she noticed the faintest of smiles appear briefly on Dawnfall, the she-cat who was never happy. What did that mean?

Despite all that's happened the leader forced herself to finish the meeting. "Well unless anyone else wants to speak up, Shadowthorn is now a warrior of Shadowclan." No one complained. "Fine then; clan meeting dismissed."

It took a moment longer than usual, but the cats surrounding eventually left to continue with that they were doing before, aside from Eagleflight's friends who stayed behind, surrounding his limp body. Icestar might consider joining them for respect but she had to speak to her father

Most of the warriors just created a distance out of earshot and gathered into smaller groups to gossip: typical.

Shadowthorn turned to Icestar and she gestured over to her den and the two walked inside, away from the others.

As soon as they were alone in the leader den, Icestar faced Shadowthorn with discontent. "What was that all about? Why did you kill Eagleflight?" She was much more upset over the situation than she let on, not wanting to yell at her father.

"They wouldn't trust me if I didn't," he said casually.

"I tried to stop it but you killed him anyway. No one would blame you if you just followed my order," she told him sternly. Shadowthorn looked at her with an odd expression that she wasn't able to read. Unsure of how to respond it, she looked away to avoid eye contact.

"Cats die; it's natural. You would know. Didn't you kill Flowertail when she tried to join the rebels?"

Icestar shot her gaze back up at him with her eyes wide with shock. "How did you know about that?" she demanded.

The tom chuckled. "News like that spreads far enough to reach even my ears. You killed her to protect your clan. I killed Eagleflight to do the same thing."

"So," Icestar said quietly and sat down. "Nothings' changed. Cats are still dying for _selfish_ reasons," she growled, staring down at her paws.

"These reasons aren't selfish," he assured her. "It's for the sake of the forest."

"That's what they said the war was for," she spat back, thinking back to the war that eventually caused the clans to join together.

The silence dragged on for many heartbeats before Shadowthorn sighed. "You know it's different. And anyway, I can finally help you with the clan without having to hide. Things are looking up."

Icestar looked at her father and caught one of his truly rare, joyful smiles. An achingly annoying realization in the back of her mind knew it was fake.

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Breezetail padded towards the camp exit as casually as possible, glancing behind for a quick moment. After checking to make sure no one was paying too much attention, he disappeared into the forest. After a few twists and turns, he finally reached the others.

Bramblestripe and Rowanpelt have already gathered after the display that just happened in camp.

"Hey guys," Breezetail welcomed warily. They both welcomed him. "What do you think about what just happened?"

"I think it's terrible," Bramblestripe exclaimed right away. "Pool Eagleflight and- and- and now Shadowthorn joined the clan!"

"Yes we were all there for that part," Rowanpelt teased.

She ignored him and continued. "We've heard stories about him as kits. I can't believe Icestar let him in," she said with worry.

"Well she wasn't clan-born," Breezetail reminded his sister. "She probably never heard about him as a kit. His past doesn't mean a thing to her."

"Either way," Rowanpelt started. "This is really bad but we can't really do anything about it."

The three cats stopped talking between themselves when a voice rang out behind the trees and bushes. "Hello? You guys here?"

"This way," Breezetail called and the cat found his way over to them.

"Nice of you to make it, Snowpelt," Bramblestripe said with a smile.

"Thanks for inviting me," he answered somewhat shyly. Breezetail wanted to help Icestar return to her former self. To do that, he needed all of her closest friends. She wasn't extra close to Snowpelt but they knew each other well. "But I can't help you."

All eyes were on him now. "What do you mean?" Breezetail asked in a concerned tone.

Snowpelt sighed and sat down. "I can't take this anymore. I heard so many terrible things about what Shadowthorn and how he tried to join the clans using force. I don't want anything to do with it. So I want to leave the clan."

Pure shock appeared on the three cats' expressions. Hey didn't say anything in response so Snowpelt went on.

"I never liked Forestclan. I believe we belong in four clans but I didn't want to oppose Icestar and everyone else. But it's gone too far and I've decided to leave. With luck, maybe I can find Redshade and the other rebels. Now that Mapleshine left them, I could help them."

"Are you sure about that?" Rowanpelt asked the white tom. "Icestar doesn't really trust many cats anymore. I don't think it'll be easy to get out."

"I don't care," Snowpelt said, shaking his head. "I'm leaving this clan early tomorrow morning. You guys are free to join me," he added lightheartedly.

Breezetail and Bramblestripe exchanged a glance and looked over to Rowanpelt. "We can't do that," Bramblestripe replied for all of them. "We need to help Icestar."

"I understand," he meowed and tilted his head.

Breezetail was focusing intensely on the ground, staring into space. Bramblestripe nudged him to break him out of the trance. The pale tom looked up again at Snowpelt. "Actually, let me come with you. Not to join the rebels but… I want to talk to Redshade."

Snowpelt shrugged. "Sure, no problem," he answered, sounding as if he didn't understand the danger that he was walking into and the risk Breezetail was taking.

If either of them got caught, they'd probably get killed depending on who found out. Breezetail knew he needed to move with caution. As for Snowpelt, sometimes he had no idea what was going on in the impulsive toms' mind but one thing was certain; both toms were leaving Forestclan camp the next morning.

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**A/N: Shadowthorn has made his return! I'm not sure I went about that alright but I'm hoping everything turned out okay and realistic enough…**

**By the way, I got a brilliant idea a few days ago: on my profile, I decided to add an **_**Update Section. **_**Since I have been a little behind on updating and such, you can go there to see how the next chapter is progressing or any new news that I might need to share. So make sure to check out my profile next time I start getting lazy. =D**

**Well thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed. Please tell me your thoughts! Please, please, please.**

**Have a nice day~**


	12. Break and Escape

_Chapter 12_

The bright moon was concealed behind dark clouds and the air was cold and stiff. Snow had begun to fall earlier during the day and has been ever since.

Snowpelt was sleeping on a branch in a pine tree where Shadowclan territory used to be. A pile of snow began to form on the branch above him while the light tom remained untouched by it. He left Forestclan camp by once the sun set to simply get away. Ever since Shadowthorn joined, the camp seemed especially tense. When the dark tom walked by, everyone in range would quiet their voiced and avoid eye contact. There was a certain atmosphere around Shadowthorn that was like a warning to get away. Why did Icestar allow him to join?

The warrior unintentionally fell into a light and easily broken sleep which didn't last long before the pine branch above him could no longer handle the amount of ice that it carried and gave out, dropping the pile of snow onto Snowpelt.

He woke in shock and hastily jumped out of the tree and back onto the ground. He shivered and shook the snow off his back then sighed deeply. "Wasn't expecting that," he muttered, looking up at the sky. Snowpelt noticed how late it's gotten and figured he should head back to camp and sleep in an actual nest.

Snowpelt padded through the forest with heavy eyes, trying not to lose the tired feeling inside of him so he wouldn't have trouble going back to sleep once he reached the camp. He still felt ice and frosty water sink through his fur, making him feel more alert then he would like to be. The light tom sighed again as he got closer to the camp, wishing he never left the camp in the first place.

When Snowpelt reached the camp, he went straight for the warrior den but something caught his attention a heartbeat before he walked in. Snowpelt hid halfway inside the den and glanced out. A few cats have gathered by the camp entrance. He recognized them but he didn't know any of them very well. They were whispering to each other but it was impossible to make out what they were saying even when Snowpelt closed his eyes and focused.

Their voices suddenly became somewhat louder and he was able to understand. The group was just interrupted by Bluefire and Streamheart, two of the four guards.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bluefire asked the group with narrowed eyes.

The cats hesitated before one cat, Darkflower, answered. "We were just about to go hunting."

"The moonhigh hunting patrol just came back not long ago. You should save it for the morning," Bluefire told them, not convinced.

"Well we-" Darkflower was cut off but Streamheart.

"Save it," Streamheart said in a begging tone as she help back a yawn. "We know exactly what you're doing." The cats began to look panicked.

Bluefire added, "You plan on leaving the clan. Some of you plan on finding the rebels." She spoke with full confidence and the worry in the cats' eyes told Snowpelt that Bluefire was right.

They struggled to find the right words but Streamheart continued before they could. "Don't worry; we won't tell Icestar about this… Or to be more precise, we won't give her any names."

They knew there wasn't any point in denying it anymore. "Why?" Another cat, Minnowshine asked.

"She asked us not to," Streamheart meowed. "She somehow knew some warriors would try to leave and said that since we can stop you, you now know you _can't _leave Forestclan. _'If someone wants to leave so badly, then forcing them to stay is punishment enough;'_ that's what she told us, anyway."

The worried group of cats exchanged glances but didn't say anything more.

"You should go back to your dens," Bluefire told them and they awkwardly left to the warrior den.

Snowpelt impulsively ran behind the warrior den as they walked in then looked over to the guards once no one was watching. He wanted to know what happened next. He also wondered why none of them did anything. If Darkflower, Minnowshine and the others wanted to leave, why didn't they fight back? They outnumbered Bluefire and Streamheart by a good few. Maybe those two just held too much fear…

Snowpelt noticed the same time as Streamheart and Bluefire did; the deputy, Featherstripe, was watching the whole event and she just stepped forward to the two. "What happened here?" She asked with a strange tone. She sounded disappointed and upset underneath her attempt to hide it.

"Some warriors just tried to leave Forestclan and we stopped them," Streamheart said with a tired smile.

"Oh," Featherstripe said quietly. "I see." Bluefire simply looked at the deputy normally but Streamheart looked at her as if she was expecting something. "Uh- good work," the stripped she-cat finally said. The young Streamheart smiled proudly. The three of them spoke back and forth for a little while longer before the guards left.

Snowpelt decided it was probably time to leave. He took a step back but froze for half a heartbeat when Featherstripe turned and looked at him straight in the eyes. He backed away, out of her view while holding his breath. Featherstripe and the others probably wouldn't want the failed escape attempt to be known by everyone. He felt it was too dangerous to stay in camp at the moment. He planned on leaving just for the night and coming back in the morning, afraid Featherstripe would try to talk to him or something.

Snowpelt turned, about to flee the camp. When he turned, he went cold and almost yelled in alarm. Shadowthorn was standing right in front of him.

"S-shadowthorn," Snowpelt stuttered in alarm. "G-good morning- er, good night. I mean… hello," he meowed lamely.

The dark tom didn't yell at him or anything, much to his surprise. "It seems many cats are awake at this time of the night," he began, he said casually.

_Maybe he doesn't know I was watching,_ Snowpelt hoped but was disappointed when Shadowthorn continued on.

"I'm sure you know by now; an odd amount of cats have suddenly decided to leave Forestclan. But that's not an option," he said coldly. "But we won't allow it. It's just as Icestar said: anyone who would dare try to escape will be trapped inside as punishment." A faint smirk appeared on Shadowthorns' face for a moment.

_Dear Starclan,_ Snowpelt prayed silently as he fought back the fear that Shadowthorn sent him.

"What's the meaning of this?" Snowpelt glanced at Featherstripe who just joined the conversation. "I never heard anything about this idea of forcing cats to stay here."

"Of course you didn't," the dark tom replied. "This was decided between Icestar, the guards and me."

The deputy seemed taken back by the answer. "But I'm a deputy," she insisted.

"Irrelevant. Now if you don't mind, it's very late," he said and walked away before she could add something.

Featherstripe sighed warily and glanced at Snowpelt before padding into the shadows of the warrior den.

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"Hey, wake up already." Snowpelt forced his eyes open, taking in the faint light that spilled into the den the next morning. He glanced up at Breezetail who was looking down at him, looking slightly impatient. "Did you not get enough sleep? You looked like a dead rabbit." Breezetail honestly didn't get too much rest either which explained his wariness. He was nervous about leaving.

"Sorry," Snowpelt muttered and stretched out his legs before standing up. "No, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night but it's not a big deal." The light warrior glanced around the den. Most of the cats were still sleeping. It was early in the morning and the sun was just beginning to rise.

"We need to get going if we're going to find you-know-who," Breezetail warned. Snowpelt agreed and they cautiously padded outside. A number of warriors have already woken up but were spread out around the camp and will likely not notice the toms. A patrol was about to leave camp but they would be easy to avoid.

Breezetail and Snowpelt first made sure that no one was watching them before they casually escaped into the forest. Breezetail noticed the nagging feeling that someone was watching them, however.

They headed in the direction of the past Thunderclan camp. Most of the trees have lost their leaves and snow covered the ground. The sky was gloomy but not enough to snow.

"Why are we going this way?" Snowpelt asked.

"Just in case someone is onto us; we'll have to circle around."

"You really think someone found out about us searching for the rebels?" He asked with concern.

"No but you can never be too careful," Breezetail answered and they quickened their pace. However, not long passed before a cat spotted them and they were forced to stop.

"What are you doing here?"

The toms froze in their tracks and slowly turned towards the voice. Featherstripe stepped out from behind the bushes.

"F-featherstripe," Snowpelt muttered in shock. "What are you doing here?"

The she-cats' expression was impossible to read. She looked at them with a serious attitude but there was something else too. "I'm very sorry," she said for a moment and avoided eye contact for a heartbeat before looking straight at them. "I was listening in on your conversation. I know what you're doing. I know where you're going."

Breezetail sensed Snowpelt suddenly get tense. If one of the deputies knew about their attempt to escape, they would be in deep trouble. Both toms wanted to say something but were unsure of what.

Featherstripe understood their hesitation and continued. "You're looking for the rebels. If Shadowthorn or one of the guards found you, they would say the exact same thing as last night," she meowed, looking directly at Snowpelt. Breezetail was confused. "However, I'm not going to say it."

Breezetail waited for a moment, wondering if she was going to add anything more. "What do you mean?"

"I can't stand by idly. Last night, several warriors tried to leave but they were stopped before they could get out of the camp. I tried to help them get out."

"What?" Snowpelt gasped. "But you're a deputy! Why would you…-"

"I don't like what Icestar and Shadowthorn are doing. Many cats are worried about Shadowthorn joining. He built a terrible reputation and there are some bad rumors about him. If someone wants to leave the clan, he doesn't have the right to stop them. So I began searching for cats who want to escape and help them before it's too late."

Snowpelt and Breezetail glanced at each other for a moment. Breezetail knew he shouldn't trust her, being so close to Icestar, but he wanted to. Her words seemed truthful and her eyes didn't tell lies. Snowpelt seemed to feel the same way.

"Alright," Breezetail finally said. "How can you help us?"

The light blue she-cat smiled. "I already have. I've told all the patrols to go in other areas, leaving the path to the rebels free from danger. I've also gathered a few others who have the same idea as you. I'd like you to travel together."

"There are more?" Snowpelt asked in astonishment. "Who?"

Featherstripe turned and stepped through the bushes, motioning with her tail to follow.

There was a surprising amount of cats waiting with Featherstripe. Sitting or standing together was Blackcloud, Ferncloud, Flowermist, Tigerstripe, Moonheart and Frostheart. Breezetail was relieved to see there was at least one cat from each clan. There were still many warriors who refused to follow Icestar after all that has happened.

"Wow," he meowed. "All of you want to join with Redshade?"

They nodded. Blackcloud spoke up. "After Eagleflight was killed, I realized how bad this situation really was," the former Shadowclan cat said. "Featherstripe told me that Frostheart had the same idea," he added, glancing at the white she-cat.

"I never agreed with any of this but I knew I didn't stand a chance against Icestar alone. But there are more who want to leave besides us. We might be able to fix things now if we band together," she said in a strange, icy tone.

"Redshade is one of my best friends back in Thunderclan," Tigerstripe said. "I didn't have the courage to follow him when he first started the rebellion. So now, I plan on apologizing and helping him out the best I can." Flowermist nodded after he spoke.

The last cat to speak was Moonheart. Snowpelt and Breezetail were glad to see her, being fellow Windclan warriors. Especially Breezetail since she was his mentor. "I can't believe you're here too," he said with a wide smile.

"I know," she agreed with a soft voice. "I would hate to fight you one day."

"Oh," Breezetail paused. "I'm not leaving Forestclan though." Suddenly, all eyes were on him. "I just came to talk to Redshade. Maybe I can help from the inside."

After some short conversation, Featherstripe urged them to start heading to the barn before someone else stumbled upon them. The eight cats agreed and began heading through the forest.

Leaving an unwanted trail through the snow, they eventually reached the river and easily crossed over it thanks to the low water level and the ice snowing down the current. The sun was rising higher. By the time they reached Windclan land, just about everyone back in Forestclan camp should be awake. Being in the open moor, it was very possible for someone to spot them.

The cats wanted to move fairly slowly so they wouldn't attract any kind of attention but being out in the open in such a situation was unbearable so they began running towards the barn.

As they closed in on it, Breezetail began to wonder what would happen if they were mistaken for enemies. He hoped it wouldn't happen. Surely Redshade would believe them if they explained.

Upon reached the barn, Snowpelt stepped inside first slowly. "Hello?" He called. "We're here to talk," he added. There was no reply so he stepped in farther with the others following. "The scent is still kind of recent. Where did they go?"

"Icestar has already sent a few raids here. They probably left before they could get attacked again," Frostheart explained as she began to head to the second floor.

"Then what should we do now?" Flowermist asked nervously.

"We could try to wait here until they return," Ferncloud said, knowing it was a bad idea as she spoke.

"That wouldn't work," Moonheart pointed out. "They'd have to be somewhere nearby…"

Several heartbeats of silence filled the barn as they searched the area for any clues, all knowing there was no point.

"I heard this rumor going around-," Tigerstripe suddenly started. "-that the rebels had some interest in the Thunderclan camp for some reason. We could try there since we don't have any other idea of where to go."

"I think that's our only choice," Breezetail said. It would be impossible to track their scent after the snowfall. Let's just try going there," he said and glanced at everyone to see their reactions. Most of them looked unsure but agreed eventually.

The eight cats quickly ran through the snow-covered moor and back into the forest with the cold breeze pushing against them. There were a few complaints about having to go all the way back to the forest.

The group was hit with a stroke of luck once they reached the forest. A moment after entering, Redshade was there with the other rebels.

"Redshade," Breezetail started. "We want to talk to you." He spoke quickly before the red tom jumped to conclusion.

"I know."

"… Huh?"

"We ran into Featherstripe. At first, I wasn't sure if it was a trap or not but it turns out she was telling the truth. So all of you want to join the rebellion?"

Everyone behind him said yes but Breezetail shook his head. "I just came to talk to you."

The red tom glanced at him and the others. "Alright," he said and led him away from the others. Rainshadow, Greyshadow and Echopaw began talking to the warriors.

"So what's this about, Breezetail?"

Breezetail took a deep breath. He planned the conversation with Redshade many times over but now it was actually happening. "I'm sure you noticed that Icestar is not herself. I don't know why but she's different now." Redshade nodded slowly. "It's like she lost her senses or something. I don't want to fight her, I want to save her."

Redshade looked at him normally but then broke into a smile. "So you still love her?"

Breezetail suddenly felt awkward and slightly embarrassed but nodded and smiled. "Yeah… I love Icestar but not the way she is now. That's why I need to fight her to help her. Do you feel the same way? I know you two were good friends."

Redshade sighed and shifted his weight. "I want her to go back to her normal self but I don't know if it's possible now," he said almost reluctantly.

"How could you say that?"

"Look at the situation, Breezetail," the red tom said seriously. "She has every clan under her control. So much power can affect anyone. Maybe she's too gone to save-"

"Don't say that!" Breezetail hissed. "Don't you dare say that. I know I can save her." A spark of anger rose in his eyes but quickly calmed down as he looked down at his paws. "I have too…"

Redshade looked at the pale tom for a few heartbeats, unable to think of the right words to say.

"She saved me countless times," Breezetail continued, still avoiding eye contact. "Like when I was captured by rogues or in the many battles we've fought in. I couldn't just abandon her after all of that."

Redshade sighed again. "She saved me a few times too," he said quietly. "She once pretended to kill me so her mentor wouldn't do it himself." A faint smile appeared on his face for a brief moment. "But really… I need to think about what's best for everyone here."

"I understand," Breezetail said, looking up at him again. "So do I. And I'll do everything in my power to save her; to save everyone."

"If it's possible, then I'll be glad to help you."

"Thank you," he said with a nod. That was as far as the discussion could get and Breezetail knew it. He needed to head back to Forestclan camp before anyone got suspicious. "I should get going." Breezetail turned to the others. They were all talking happily with the rebels. He hoped they would be okay.

A cold breeze blew through the forest and a few twigs fell off a tree followed by several dead leaves.

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"It seems many cats were able to escape," an orange cat pointed out. "I was badly out numbed. We'll have to find them again with a larger group.

"I agree," another cat said. "We have to teach everyone that _no one _can leave Forestclan alive. We can deal with the rebellion in one deadly swipe. Blood will spill and then no one will defy me." The dark cat smiled wickedly at the thought. "I'll let Icestar know immediately."

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**A/N: I personally think this chapter turned out really well. There is around 10 more chapters. According to my plan, anyway. And fair warning; the next chapter will have some crazy stuff go down...**

**Anyway, sorry for the wait. A big thanks to the few people who checked my profile for updates. Now I know I'm not wasting my time. Well thanks for reading and please review. **

**Have a nice day~**


	13. Walking into Danger

_Chapter 13_

Icestar stared into the icy river miserably, diving her paw into the water every time a fish passed. She wasn't one for fishing. In fact, she hardly knew how to. However, she just happened to join a hunting patrol with mostly former Riverclan cats and knew they would prefer to fish instead of chase after scarce rabbits or mice.

After several failed attempts, Icestar pulled her wet paw underneath her for warmth and glanced at the others. Bluefoot and Brownpelt already caught several fish and Sunclaw was working on his third. The leader wondered where he learned how to fish but decided it wasn't worth asking.

The white she-cat looked back into the river sullenly. She knew it was ridiculous for her to get worked up about something so minor like being unable to fish but Icestar still couldn't shake the feeling.

When she thought they had enough prey, Icestar called them together to go back to camp. She walked away with a single fish as the warriors followed her away from the river. Brownpelt noticed her pathetic fish and commented. "You're just still getting the hang of it," he commented. Icestar replied with a nod, hiding her slight irritation.

Once they reached Forestclan camp, the cats dropped their fish in the fresh-kill pile and went dispersed. The she-cat decided to wander around camp to simply see how everyone was doing. Although, she didn't get long before Dawnfall ran up to her.

"Icestar, when did you get back to camp?" The orange she-cat asked when she caught up.

"Just a moment ago," the leader answered, wondering what was on Dawnfalls' mind.

"I need to tell you something in private."

Iceatar nodded and they went into Icestars' den. "I followed some warriors this morning," Dawnfall said the moment they were alone but Icestar interrupted.

"Wait, why were you following cats around?" Unable to recall any order she gave to do so.

"Shadowthorn told me to."

"Shadowthorn?" Icestar echoed in alarm. "Why did you follow his orders without talking to me?"

Dawnfall simply shrugged and switched the conversation back. "Anyway, when I followed the cats, they found the rebels and joined with them."

Icestar sighed. "How many?"

"Eight, I think."

The leader closed her eyes and thought about the few options she had.

"We need to act fast." Icestar opened her eyes again when she heard the toms' voice and saw Shadowthorn walk in. "We can't let the warriors believe they can just leave without us doing anything about it."

Icestar felt a strange feeling boil up inside of her but she had trouble placing it. Perhaps she was angered at her father for acting like he was the leader instead of her.

"Yeah," Icestar agreed lamely, unsure of what else to say.

Shadowthorn turned to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "We need to attack them. Today."

"What?" Icestar muttered. For some reason, she suddenly felt reluctant to send a raid, unlike before, but knew there was no way to defend the thought.

"They think they're safe. They don't know we were watching. An attack so soon is the last thing they'll expect," Shadowthorn explained.

Dawnfall nodded. "It seemed like they were going back to the barn."

Shadowthorn chuckled. "They never learn."

Icestar didn't have anything to add. She needed to send an attack and there was nothing she could say or do to avoid it.

"We can finally get them cornered," Shadowthorn went on. "If we sent a large surprise attack, none of the rebels will make it out alive."

Icestar looked down and sighed before looking back at her father with a serious expression. "I'll pick the cats to go. Both of you should prepare yourselves." The white she-cat walked past the two warriors and into the camp. She leaped on top of the Great Rock and called everyone to gather. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting!"

After everyone was present, the leader went over what she was just told. "I have chosen the warriors to attack the rebels. They are: Bluefire, Dawnfall, Sparrowfall, Rainblossom, Stonepath, Swiftpelt, Mistystripe, Leafpaw, Mosspelt, Oakpaw, Raventail, Shadowthorn, Leopardfang, Skypath, Runningshade and Wolfclaw." She took a deep breath after listing off the long line of cats. "After preparing, the chosen warriors will leave immediately." She glanced down and saw Shadowthorn was staring at her, trying to catch her gaze. She knew what he wanted her to say but had another idea in mind.

"Wolfclaw will lead the attack," she announced, sensing her annoyance that rose from her father. He wanted to lead the attack but she needed to give a job for her deputy to do. Otherwise, they would begin to complain. "Clan meeting dismissed."

As soon as Icestar jumped down, the clan cats either continued with what they were doing or began preparing to leave.

She spotted Shadowthorn walking in her direction in the corner of her eye but Featherstripe reached her first.

"Icestar, please allow me to join the raid." She sounded cool and collected but her eyes were pleading.

"Sure, that would be fine," the leader answered right before Shadowthorn joined her.

"No, you should stay here," the tom commanded, ignoring what the leader just said. Both she-cats looked at him with confusion. "We have enough warriors. You should stay here," he said again in a darker, for frightening tone that send a quick shiver down Icestar's spine even though he wasn't speaking to her.

Featherstripe glanced at Icestar, waiting to see if she would argue but Icestar remained silent. Finally, the stripped blue she-cat sighed and padded away.

After she was out of earshot, Shadowthorn turned to his daughter. "I don't trust her, Icestar. It would be safer if Featherstripe didn't get involved in the battle." Without giving her a chance to respond, Shadowthorn padded away.

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"Let's see here," Redshade said to himself as he looked over every cat who was now a member of the rebellion. "Moonheart, Tigerstripe, Frostheart, Flowermist, Furncloud, Blackcloud, Snowpelt, Greyshadow, Echopaw, Rainshadow and myself… We stand a better chance against Forestclan than ever!"

The members of the rebellion, new and old, all cheered together. They haven't been doing so well in the war against Forestclan. Seeing so many cats join was very uplifting and gave them hope.

"With more cats on our side-" Redshade began"- we'll be able to do much more against the clan. We're getting closer to our goal already." The rebels continued to cheer the good news and began conversing amongst themselves. Seeing their eyes filled with determination and hope brought a smile to Redshades' face. Things were definitely looking up.

So much more was possible now. Of course, they would still need to stick with small raids and sneaking around since they were still largely outnumbered, but it was now known that cats wanted to leave Forestclan and there was only one place for them to go. At this rate, Redshade expected more warriors to pile in within the moon.

He knew the risks. If so many cats suddenly left at once, Icestar wouldn't stand for it. She was probably planning to deal with the problem at the very moment. But that is exactly why Redshade wanted to act fast.

The red tom noticed Echopaw was gazing out of a window while the others were occupied.

"Echopaw, is there something on your mind?" He asked the apprentice.

"Huh" She muttered when he broke her out of her trance. "No, not really. I just noticed that it was getting dark out."

Redshade looked outside as well. "Oh yeah, it seems so," he answered quietly. Dark storm clouds were rolling in quick. "It's going to be cold tonight." He had no doubt that those clouds would bring a thick layer of snow onto the moor.

Redshade padded over to the barn entrance to get a better look at how far the clouds stretched. However, when the red tom looked outside, he saw five cats walking on the moor. They were clearly from Forestclan and they were heading straight for the barn. It was the average size for a border patrol. Based on the number of warriors, Redshade assumed they didn't know about the cats who just joined the rebellion. They probably thought there were still only a few rebels.

The tom smiled to himself and turned to the others. "Listen up," he called, grabbing their attention. "It seems some Forestclan cats are coming this way to pay us a visit. Now that we can outnumber a normal patrol, let's go meet them halfway," he suggested, unable to keep the smile off his face. He was excited to finally fight the warriors without having to flee.

"Great idea," Tigerstripe commented, followed by agreements from the others.

"It's time to strike back," Rainshadow said with a grin.

"It'll all be worth it in the end," Moonheart said quietly with a faint smile.

Redshade nodded to them all and turned back to the entrance. He peeked his head out and watched the five cats get closer. The dark clouds overhead made it difficult to see their faces but at such a stage, it didn't matter. The red tom kept the rebels for what seemed like endless heartbeats. After a moment of unbearable silence, he charged forward. "Attack!" He yowled as he dashed across the moor, followed by all the rebels, aside from Echopaw who stayed behind.

Despite the increase of enemies, the Forestclan warriors didn't seem surprised in the slightest. They ran forward once the rebels revealed themselves and the two sides clashed together in a frenzy of growls and hissing as they fought viciously.

Redshade's heart began to race as he was locked into battle with Leopardfang. It's been too long since he felt the confidence that he had while fighting a battle that he could truly win. He was more determined now than before.

The other cats who were fighting were Stonepath, Swiftpelt, Raventail and Skypath. Redshade used to be clanmates with Swiftpelt and Skypath so he deliberately avoided them without realizing at first. The tom knew he would have to fight his friends eventually but still preferred to stay away from them for as long as possible.

Only moments passed before an unsettling feeling crept up on Redshade. Unsure why, he turned towards the forest the moment he was able to without danger of being attacked and a cold chill went down his spine. He couldn't count them but many more warriors dashed out of the forest and went straight for them. The rebels were suddenly badly outnumbered.

He was about to call the retreat but was attacked by Leopardfang while he was distracted. The brown and black tom clawed Redshade on his hind leg. He had to turn around and defend himself before he was able to escape with the other rebels.

Redshade raked Leopardfang across the face and created a distance when he flinched. The tom tried to raise his voice above the noise but he was drained out by the fighting around him. Everyone else's' voices piled over his and no one heard him yell 'retreat.'

Another heartbeat later, the small scrimmage was overrun by Forestclan cats. Each ally had at least two enemies to fend off alone.

He tried helping them the best he could but was unable to focus as his mind went off in different directions yet the same thought resurfaced no matter how many times he pushed it away.

_This is my fault. I shouldn't have ran into battle without a second thought. We need to get out of here before anyone gets badly wounded but is that even possible now? Everything is moving too fast! I can't focus; I can't save them._

He began thinking of the worst case scenario and even more possible horrors threatened Redshade as he fought.

Frostheart was getting ganged up on. After trying to clear his mind, Redshade ran forward to assist her but he was interrupted when another cat leaped in his way. It was one Icestars; guards, Bluefire. He didn't hesitate to jump at the she-cat and sink his claws into her shoulders. She raised her front legs and hooked onto his claws. They held onto each other in a somewhat awkward position before both released back backed up.

"Give up now," Bluefire told him sternly. "Your surrender will save lives."

Her tone angered Redshade and he didn't bother to hide the fact. "Surrendering to you would be no different than suicide," he spat. "We're fighting for a better future for everyone. We'll either accomplish that or die trying!" He remained tense, expecting the blue she-cat to attack at any moment.

Bluefire narrowed her eyes. "Who do you think you're fighting?" She said quietly then yelled "Starclan told us to join together! How dare you oppose our ancestors?!"

So that was it. Deep inside, Redshade always knew but now he fully understood why the Forestclan cats hated the rebellion so much. In the warriors' eyes, Redshade and his followers weren't just fighting against Icestar; they were fighting against Starclan and they detested the idea. "How are you so sure?" Redshade shot back. His reply startled Bluefire somehow. "Have you asked Starclan yourself? No; only Icestar has. That's not enough for me. I truly believe joining together is not the path we should take. If I was wrong, Starclan would have told me so!"

Bluefire was unable to reply and seemed irritated by the fact. She then looked slightly reassured so Redshade assumed she thought of some sort to reply to defend her leader but didn't say it. Instead, the blue she-cat jumped at the red tom and slashed his front leg. He reeled back and as she came forward again, he slipped next to her and bit into her back. She yowled in pain and struggled to make him release. Bluefire managed to kick him away with her back leg and he staggered backwards.

The brawl went on too fast for Redshade to react. Ferncloud was pushed between him and Bluefire. Right before his eyes, Redshade watched in paralyzing disbelief as his new ally was attacked by Shadowthorn. The dark tom mercilessly slashed her neck and the she-cat fell limp onto the ground with a pool of blood growing around her, staining the thin layer of snow with a dark red.

Redshade stared at her, unable to move. Bluefire had a similar expression. Every muscle screamed at him to attack Fernclouds' killer; attack Shadowthorn but his mind told him not to. Shadowthorn began to scan the area and a moment before he turned to Redshade; the tom backed up and disappeared into the crowd of cats.

_Coward! _He mentally hissed at himself. He took the insult, knowing it was true. _Enough; I have to get everyone out of here right now._

Shadowthorn was probably not the only cat who came to kill. It would be dangerous to stay any longer. He didn't want to run again but he had no choice. Redshade tried yelling out the retreat call again and was heard this time. The remaining rebels began making their way out of the depths of battle and tried to escape but the warriors were relentless. They didn't want the rebels to run and come back again another day. They were trying to finish it all in one fatal attack.

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Icestar dug her claws in the dirt impatiently. Sitting back in camp while a large group of warriors fought was a terrible idea in her opinion but another part of her didn't want to fight. That however didn't stop her urge to know what was happening.

The she-cats' ears twitched when a load burst of thunder rang in the distance. The clouds were getting darker and more fearsome every passing moment. She hoped it wouldn't snow, despite how likely it was.

She didn't know what to think about her sudden reluctance to fight the rebels. Perhaps it started once she had the opportunity to actually get rid of them instead of just carrying out a constant battle. Icestar was afraid of just how true that might be and tried to push the thought out or her mind. She didn't want to debate it with herself anymore.

Icestar glanced around the camp. Though warriors were fighting in another part of the territory, life went on as always for the ones who stayed behind. The camp was decently quiet and calm for some reason and Icestar couldn't handle it.

Without a second thought, the leader ran out of the camp and headed for the moor. She didn't think about what she was doing in the slightest but the curiously was killing her. Icestar needed to know what was happening. Though she didn't admit it, the she-cat didn't want to see either side get hurt.

Icestar broke out of the forest and froze to the spot when she saw the battle raging in the distance near the barn. The rebels were truly outnumbered. She wasn't close enough to see any faces but it was clear that some cats were getting attacked by two or three at a time. There were already a couple of bodies lying emotionless on the ground. Was it her imagination or was the snow around them tainted red?

With hundreds of thoughts spiraling through her mind, Icestar moved closer to get a better look. Half of her screamed at her not to and just turn around. Ignorance is bliss, after all. Despite agreeing with herself, she couldn't stop her legs from drawing her in closer.

The leader stopped at the outskirts of the battle and noticed she was holding her breath. In the fray, there were certain cats who were moving quicker and attacking stronger than the others. She expected Shadowthorn to be one of them but to her surprise, he was moving rather calmly while attacking without a care in the world. She realized Oakpaw was giving the fight everything he had. His attacks weren't aimed to kill anyone but she couldn't deny that his fighting ability has generously improved.

Icestar continued to look into the fighting and accidently locked eyes with a certain cat who she instantly knew was Redshade. The tom hesitated for a moment but then began to move towards her. Others tried to attack him as he walked but he dodged them and kept going forward until they were only a few tail lengths away.

"Is this what you wanted?" Redshade asked her quietly after a few heartbeats of silence. Icestar didn't reply. She wanted to say no but knew it wouldn't be wise to say that to an enemy. "I never sought you to turn into a killer, Icestar," he said stiffly when the she-cat didn't answer.

"What?" Icestar exclaimed in surprise. "I'm not a killer!"

"This attack was your idea, wasn't it? These cats are ultimately dead because of you!" His words stuck a nerve but Icestar didn't answer right away. She looked into Redshades' eyes and saw just how much pain he was experiencing. She glanced past him at how many bodies were motionless, and then back to Redshade. He was grieving for them and shot his emotions at Icestar because of it. Because of that, the white she-cat didn't get angry at him. Those deaths _were _her fault, just as he said.

Icestar opened her mouth to reply but she was at a loss for words. Seeing as the conversation was over, Redshade turned away and disappeared into the crowd. She took a step forward but paused again when she happened to watch another cat drop dead from the claws of her father. Icestar gasped at the sight and she felt the need to stop the fighting somehow, although it too late.

Icestar heard Redshades' voice within the chaos but was too dazed to understand it. The crowd began to disperse as a small group of cats ran out for their lives while the others followed. Within a few heartbeats, the moor had become quiet once again.

Shadowthorn didn't follow with the others. He saw Icestar and padded up to her. "What are you doing here?" He asked but Icestar didn't reply. "Icestar!"

The leader shook her head for a moment and looked back at her father. "I just came to see how the raid went."

"It's dangerous here," he said plainly. Icestar noticed his fur was covered in blood but she doubted most of it was his own. "Get back to camp," he said and began walking.

When Shadowthorn walked past her, Icestar spotted a cat on the ground move slightly. She ran over to the survivor and saw it was Runningshade. The scarred she-cat had a nasty cut on her chest and was breathing lightly but she was still alive.

"Runningshade is still alive," Icestar said loudly to her father.

"Just leave her," he answered casually. The leader turned her head towards him in shock but didn't leave the she-cats' side. "She's not well enough to fight for a while so there's no point in saving her. The weak don't have a place here." The dark tom began walking towards the forest.

Icestar stared at him leave in disbelief. She couldn't understand what her father just said. She wanted to believe it never happened. _How could you abandon a clanmate like that?_

The white she-cat directed her attention back on Runningshade. _How will I get you back to camp?_ Icestar jumped up and ran towards the barn. It wasn't hard to find a bundle of cobwebs and she ran back to the she-cat and applied the webs to stop the bleeding. It worked after a moment of pressure. She needed to get a medicine cat to look at her but Runningshade should be fine for the moment at least.

Once she finished, Icestar stood back up and glanced around her. The sight was horrifying. So many cats lay dead surrounded by red snow. She walked around them and listed off the cats in her head. _Ferncloud, Flowermist, Blackcloud, Moonheart-_ Icestar paused when she came across Moonheart, Breezetails' mentor. She looked away but felt a powerful sadness sweep over her. All those cats just joined the rebels and died so soon afterwards.

In the direction she turned to, Icestar recognized Sparrowfall and Mosspelt. Both were former Thunderclan cats and Mosspelt was Oakpaws' mentor. Then she noticed Frostheart was also killed. How would he react to this?

The overwhelming stench of blood was starting to get to her. Icestar decided to leave but the moment she planned to, she heard paw steps from behind and figured Shadowthorn returned.

"I'm not going to let her die," he said quietly, still thinking of the way he wanted to abandon Runningshade.

The cat kept walking and Icestar noticed the paw steps were lighter than Shadowthorns'. She turned and felt her heart sink the moment she saw Oakpaw standing behind her. Though he was deep in the fighting, he didn't seem to realize the amount of casualties until the fighting cleared away. The brown apprentice looked as upset as Icestar felt.

"I didn't know," he began. "I didn't know it would end out this way…" Was he blaming himself?

"Neither did I," Icestar admitted sullenly.

Oakpaw noticed the leader standing next to Mosspelt and Frostheart. Both she-cats were important to the tom; his mentor and his deputy.

He slowly padded over to them with his legs shivering. This was probably the first time the poor tom experienced the death of a loved one. The sight of his pain brought back to aching memory of when Cloudheart died. The two fights were very similar.

Thunder rang from above once again and snow began to fall on the cats. Icestar wanted to bring Runningshade back to camp as soon as possible but she didn't want to leave Oakpaw either.

The cold silence filled the air, almost as if it froze time. Every heartbeat seemed like a life time in such situations.

The she-cat walked over to Runningshade and sat down next to her to keep her warm. Being out in the cold in her condition wouldn't help.

"O-Oakpaw," a voice whispered. Icestar looked over to see Frostheart was still alive; barely alive. Oakpaws' eyes opened widely with hope that she would survive.

"Frostheart," he answered her quietly. "Why? Why did you betray us?" By the look of his expression, she words were painful to say but he needed to know the answer.

"Oakpaw," she repeated, using all her energy to speak. The brown tom noticed and urged her not to talk but she ignored him, as well as his previous question. "Are you… on the right path?"

"What do you mean by that?" He asked desperately, drawing in as close to her as possible.

Frostheart opened her mouth again but her head fell against the cold snow before any words came out.

"Frostheart?" Oakpaw muttered, his voice quivering. "Frostheart!" He yelled again. "I'm so sorry!" The apprentice screamed and buried his head into her fur. His whole body shivered.

Icestar watched with sympathy. The situation was painfully close to what happened when Cloudheart died. She knew what Oakpaw was feeling all too well.

As the dark storm clouds covered the sky, as well as the full moon, Icestar and Oakpaw remained on the moor in dead silence.

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**A/N: We have some pretty intense stuff coming up, if I do say so myself. I guess this chapter was a little darker than usual. In a way, perhaps. I dunno… I'm honesty not quite sure what to say about this one. But what do you guys think? I'm excited that we're finally getting to the good stuff. **

**By the way, the fight didn't take as long as I made it seem. It went by rather quickly… Well I guess that's all. Sorry for the wait, thanks for reading, please review.**

**Have a nice day~**


	14. Observing

_Chapter 14_

Only a night has passed since the fight with the rebellion. While most of the cats who left Forestclan were 'taken care of,' the event had a large impact on the clan as well. Everyone that participated had to visit the medicine cat den to check their wounds, including the dark grey tom who was stretched out in the warrior den.

It was almost Sunhigh and Wolfclaw still felt exhausted from the day before. He was covered in small scratches. While they stung, it was nothing compared to the unlucky ones, such as Runningshade. He watched Icestar carry the she-cat back to camp later in the night. Last he heard her condition was stable but there was no doubt she got more scars to add to the one on her leg.

The sun moved just enough to reach his eyes, making him cringe from the unexpected sunshine. Wolfclaw shut his eyes tightly but he still saw the red glow through his eyelids.

_Red..._ That's all he saw the night before. The deputy has been in gruesome battles in the past but none where the ultimate goal was to mercilessly kill the enemy. He was used to seeing blood spill but not cold blood. Though he personally disagreed with what they were doing, he had to fight by order of Icestar.

Or to be more exact: by order of Shadowthorn. Icestar may have chosen the cats to go, she never told the warriors to kill the rebels. Shadowthorn assured them that it was Icestars' original order but Wolfclaw couldn't imagine the leader wanting that. He's known her for a while but not long enough to understand the way she thought.

The grey tom vaguely remembered Shadowthorn fighting through the chaos. He was a monster in the heat of battle and seemed right at home. The thought of him hurting others without blinking an eye made him feel uneasy. Wolfclaw would attack without hesitation if he needed to but he would prefer not to, just like anyone else. Shadowthorn, however, truly had no morals.

Wolfclaw sighed and brought himself to his paws, not wanting to waste the day anymore. The tom padded outside and followed the sound of cats arguing. He noticed Stormtooth and Hawkwing were at it again and Icestar was trying her best to stop them from arguing. He thought about helping her but decided to just keep walking. He wasn't one to jump into situations.

While he walked past, Icestar noticed him and paused what she was doing. "Wolfclaw, wait one moment," she said quickly and left the two toms behind.

"I have to deal with these two but I plan to have Oakpaws' warrior ceremony soon. Can you confirm he's in camp? I wouldn't want him to miss out on it," she said with a brief smile and turned her attention back to the bickering cats once Wolfclaw nodded.

Since Forestclan was formed, it's been difficult to know when someone was in camp or not. Keeping track of every warrior was no easy task, especially for the leader.

After asking around, Wolfclaw learned Oakpaw was last spotted walking into the elders' den. The grey tom padded inside the den and saw the apprentice refreshing the bedding for the elders. It just occurred to him how quiet the elders have been lately and he couldn't help but wonder why.

Since there was no reason to stay any longer since he learned where Oakpaw was, Wolfclaw started to turn towards the exit but the blind elder, Gravelstone, caught his eye. The grey tom was lazily sitting in a nest in blank silence. What was he thinking? Was he used to the blindness? It would be easy to imagine how useless the former deputy used to be. Becoming a blind elder was enough but they everything he knew changed and he was forced into Fourtrees. Gravelstone couldn't leave even if he wanted too. Just about everyone in the clan felt bad for cats like him.

Wolfclaw forced himself onward and quickly told Icestar about Oakpaw. The leader didn't waste any time to begin the ceremony.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting," she called and everyone in the camp came forward. Wolfclaw watched casually from below. "Leafpaw and Oakpaw, step up."

Wolfclaw almost forgot about Oakpaws' sister, Leafpaw. He hasn't seen her much around camp. She was in the battle with the rogues as well. Perhaps he just didn't notice the small she-cat.

The brown apprentices jumped onto the rock and faced Icestar proudly.

I Icestar, leader of Forestclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these young apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the way of your noble code and I commend them to you as a warrior. Oakpaw and Leafpaw; do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan even at the cost of your own lives?"

"I do," Oakpaw said clearly, for everyone to hear.

"I do," Leafpaw said excitedly, trying to keep back a purr.

"Then by the power of Starclan, I give you your warrior names. Oakpaw, you will be known as Oakbreeze. Starclan honors you for your loyalty and confidence. We welcome you as a full warrior of Forestclan." Icestar stepped forward and rested her muzzle on the toms head for a moment before turning to Leafpaw.

"Leafpaw, you will be known as Leafwing. Starclan honors you for your intelligence and reasoning. We welcome you as a full warrior of Forestclan." Once again, Icestar rested her muzzle on Leafwings' head for a moment.

"Oakbreeze, Leafwing," the cats below cheered the names of the warriors.

Once they quieted down, the leader continued. "You two will have your silent vigil tonight. Clan meeting dismissed." The siblings jumped off the Great Rock and were immediately swarmed with cats congratulating them.

Wolfclaw didn't say anything to them, having nothing to say. In all honesty, the clan doesn't really need any more warriors. If there was no more fighting within the forest, wouldn't there be an overpopulation problem?

The grey tom sighed and walked away from the confusion surrounding the Great Rock, not being one for crowds. Before he got very far, he paused and realized it was Sunhigh.

_About time I send out a border patrol,_ the deputy thought and turned back to the cats. The first cat to catch his eye was Bluefire. She was standing at the edge of the crowd around the two new warriors but she wasn't joining in on the conversations. The blue she-cat was staring into space with a conflicted expression.

"Bluefire," he called, jerking her out of her trance. "Stop wasting time. Go on a border patrol with Mudwhisker, Skypath, Bluefoot and Silverstone." He listed off the names randomly the moment he spotted the cats.

"Alright," Bluefire said and walked away, leaving Wolfclaw quite surprised. It was usually difficult to get the four guards to follow orders from the deputies. They liked to believe they held a higher position in the clan than the deputies despite how often Icestar clarified otherwise. Bluefire in particular liked to follow a deputy's order somewhat reluctantly. Why was she so willingly this time? Could it have something to do about how distracted she looked?

"Whatever," he sighed to himself and quickly gathered up the other cats to go on a border patrol. Once that was taken care of, he eyed the fresh-kill pile at the other side of camp.

_Maybe I should go hunting, _he thought idly. He's been very busy since Hawkwing was forced down from deputy. He and Featherstripe had to handle everything themselves. _Where is Featherstripe anyway? _The grey tom glanced around camp but couldn't bring himself to care enough to search for her.

He sighed and padded towards the Fresh-kill pile. Before he reached it, he noticed the four kits were outside the Nursery with Silverheart and Blackspot watching them. The toms, Snowkit and Sootkit, were tumbling over each other as they flung a moss ball around. The older kits, Ashkit and Hollykit, were fighting each other. Hollykit was pretending to be a fox while Ashkit fought her off. The two groups eventually collided and the four of them all played a game together.

Wolfclaw heard himself chuckle at the sight but he decided to keep moving. Before he could take more than three steps, Shadowthorn walked past the Nursery as well. The kits rolled in his way without any warning and the dark tom tripped over Ashkit in particular. He gasped in alarm and caught himself before landing on the young cats.

"S-sorry," Ashkit mewed after he realized what happened.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shadowthorn hissed the moment he regained his balance and swung in paw in front of the grey kit. At first, it looked like nothing happened but it soon became clear that Shadowthorn just clawed Ashkit across the face. The kit cried out in pain and the other kits took several steps back, afraid of the large tom.

"Ashkit!" Blackspot exclaimed and ran over to her kit to see if he was alright. Wolfclaw moved in closer on the event out of curiosity and saw the kits' face was only grazed but there was some blood which was easy to see through his grey fur.

Shadowthorn was a rather feared cat but no queen would stand for their kit getting hurt in such a way; that was common knowledge. The spotted she-cat looked up at Shadowthorn with her eyes blazing. "How dare you lay a claw on my kit?" She demanded. Her loud voice caught the attention of anyone nearby. "Don't get anywhere near them!"

"If you keep them away from me," Shadowthorn growled, "then we're at an agreement."

Wolfclaw just remembered that Icestar went hunting a while ago and hasn't returned yet, so as a deputy, he had to step in. "Break it up," he said and stepped forward while spectators began to slowly gather.

He had more to say but Shadowthorn spoke up quickly. "Gladly, he muttered coldly and padded away without giving anyone a chance to say anything.

"Hey, I'm not done yet-"Blackspot began, still enraged. She stepped forward to go after him but Silverheart got in her way and shook her head against the idea.

The cats around them lost interest as soon as they got it and began to disperse. Despite the lack of motivation, Wolfclaw turned to Blackspot and said, "I'll take him to the medicine cats."

Blackspot, as if she was ignoring him, picked up the suffering kit by the scruff and moved quickly to the den. Without thinking twice, he followed.

He was right: Shadowthorn had no morals. He probably doesn't care about anyone considered 'weak,' including the kits. How disturbing…

When Wolfclaw got inside the Medicine cat den, it was slightly busier than usual thanks to the battle the other day. Runningshade was sleeping restlessly in a nest in the far corner and each of the Medicine cats were tending to someone.

Nightwind was the first to notice the injured kit. He hastily finished what he was doing and rushed over to get a closer look at Ashkit.

"It hurts," Ashkit complained through his tears when his mother put him down on the ground.

"The kits accidently tripped Shadowthorn and he attacked him," Blackspot answered angrily. The mention of Shadowthorn caused Nightwind to change his expression to one more serious and dark. Did he know something about the tom?

The grey medicine cat wasted no time into getting some herbs and carefully squeezing the juice of one on the cut. Ashkit squealed from the pain while his mother assured him over and over again that it's alright. A moment after, he got some cobwebs and covered the claw marks with them.

"Will it scar?" Blackspot asked fearfully as she wrapped her tail around her son.

Nightwind shook his head. "It's not deep," he answered. "It should heal within days."

Blackspot sighed with relief. "Thank Starclan. But if he gets near my kits again" she said, glaring outside, "I'll be picking his fur out of my claws for a moon!"

Wolfclaw almost scoffed but held it in. He doubted many cats would be able to best Shadowthorn in a fight after seeing him the night before.

Blackspot picked up her son once again and headed for the exit. He glanced at Wolfclaw and said _thanks_ through her teeth. She probably didn't mean it and felt inclined to but the tom didn't really care.

Before he had a chance to walk out as well, he heard someone talk to him once again.

"Hi Wolfclaw." He turned to see it was Mapleshine. She wasn't injured in any way so he assumed she was checking in on a friend or something.

"Hi," he replied, already knowing why she spoke up. Mapleshine had trouble regaining everyone's' trust since she rejoined Forestclan. Rockstorm convinced a few cats to give her another chance but the majority for the clan still avoids her. She's been trying to get closer to the cats slowly and befriend everyone all over again. "Sorry for interrupting. I wanted to ask you something," the rich she-cat said with a smile.

Wolfclaw suddenly had an idea as to what the question was. "Don't ask who I prefer." An off question began roaming around camp since Shadowthorn began taking more charge. Some cats prefer to way he handles clan situations over Icestar and it was not a common topic within the warriors. Cats have begun to take sides for whatever reason. No one knew how it started but since Shadowthorn showed off his ability in the fight with the rebels, Wolfclaw had been asked the question a number of times within a single morning. He never gave a clear answer.

"Huh?" Mapleshine looked confused. "I just wanted to ask how your day was going."

_What? _ _How pointless._ The tom wasn't inclined to believe her. In fact, he suspected she did plan to ask him if he was on Icestars' side or not but changed her mind the second he spoke. He didn't blame her though.

He sighed "my day is fine so far." Rockstorm walked over to his sister and they bounded off together after saying goodbye.

_That was weird, _he thought as he left the Medicine cat den. He had no doubt that Mapleshine would side over Icestar despite what happened between them in the past. He couldn't see a cat like her agreeing with the hasher way Shadowthorn did things. Wolfclaw was honestly not sure which side he would choose if it ever came down to it. Did Icestar and Shadowthorn know about the topic? It was hard to say.

It was also strange that the conversation started so suddenly through the camp. It was as if everyone was preparing to choose sides for some epic battle between them or something. But he couldn't see that happening since Shadowthorn and Icestar seemed so close though everyone wondered why.

The chances of them turning against each other seemed _very _slim. There was nothing to worry about.

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**A/N: Sorry for the wait and short-ish filler. Wolfclaw was supposed to be more important… And by the way, you'll learn about Icestars' thoughts on the previous battle in the next chapter or the one after; haven't decided yet.**

**I haven't had much time to work on it. But anyway, I finally finished a solid layout for the rest of this story. Course, I've always known what was going to happen but I finally wrote it down! Yay! Looking at it now, there's going to be nine more chapters ****at most****. If a chapter is too short, I might merge it with the next chapter or something like that but at least you have a general idea. I'm getting excited!**

**Until next time, thanks for reading and please review!**

**Have a nice day~**


	15. Wavering

_Chapter 15_

"Everything seems fine here. Let's keep going."

Icestar nodded to Frostpath who was leading the border patrol. She and the others began walking on the edge of the Thunderpath, heading to the tunnel that went underneath it.

The leader specifically joined a patrol that would be farthest away from the moor as possible. She couldn't stand the sight of the barren land. Though the field gets a fresh blanket of snow every day, all she could see was the massacre of a fight that she watched only three sunrises ago. The thought petrified her. _Was it my fault all those cats died?_ She wanted to deny it. She wasn't the one fighting but that was a cowardly excuse. _I chose the cats to go. I knew what would happen but I went along with Shadowthorns' plan anyway!_

_Shadowthorn. Wasn't this his idea? _Icestar shook her head every time the thought came up. She didn't want to push the blame to her father, who selflessly helped her get so far. She didn't want to but it was difficult to deny, which scared her even more. _He's just trying to help make Forestclan as strong as possible._ That's what she continued to tell herself but with very little conviction.

Yet no one had to die. On the other paw, what else could they do to stop the rebellion? Another frightening though…

Icestar jumped out of her trance when a tree branch above her gave out, dropping a pile of snow on her head. She quickly shook it off and noticed the others were at least a few fox lengths ahead of her.

"What's taking you?" Frostpath asked, looking back at the leader.

"Oh… Sorry," she answered lamely and joined them as they headed back to camp. She couldn't bring herself to focus.

Since there was no need to report anything, the other warriors went off on their own once they reached camp. The white she-cat glanced around and sighed. Life had become pretty repetitive, aside from dealing with the rebels, since the clans merged together. How long has passed since then? Four moons maybe? Five? She didn't know. She couldn't imagine how boring things had become for the warriors now that they didn't have to worry about constant fighting. But that's an odd way to see things. The clans do what they do to survive and that's what she did for them; she created an easier way to live. _I guess everything has its pros and cons;_ she thought and aimlessly padded through the camp.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted Breezetail, Rowanpelt and Nightwind talking. They were next to, almost behind, the warrior den. It almost seemed as if they were trying not to be seen. When Icestar looked at them, it caught their attention. Breezetail said something quickly and the three toms all walked away from each other.

_What was that about?_ The she-cat wondered, tilting her head in confusion. Why did they suddenly leave the moment she made eye contact? Something wasn't right. Nightwind was going back to the Medicine cat den but she ran over to him before he could walk in.

"What was that about?" She asked accusingly.

"What are you talking about?" Nightwind was a good actor.

"You know very well," she said with a sigh. "Why did Rowanpelt and Breezetail leave the moment I looked at them?"

Nightwind shrugged. "Coincidence?" He meowed casually and tried to walk around her.

She moved in his way. "Please; they're my friends."

Nightwind looked at her for a moment. The silence went on for several heartbeats before he smiled softly. "It's really nothing for you to worry about."

"But what about-"Nightwind cut her off.

"Oh! That reminds me; did you hear about what happened to Ashkit?"

Icestar sighed with emphasis and went along. It was clear she wasn't going to get an answer out of him, so she just joined his gossip. "No, what happened?"

"Really?" He looked surprised. "You need to get out more." Icestar opened her mouth to argue but he went on. "He got hurt by Shadowthorn two days ago."

This was certainly news to her. "What?" She exclaimed in disbelief. "Shadowthorn wouldn't…"

Nightwind shook his head. "The poor kit was clawed across the face for accidently tripping him."

She clenched her teeth warily. Nightwind was the first to learn Shadowthorn was alive. She knew he wasn't fond of the dark tom because of the rumors about his past. No one was. Nightwind was clearly against him joining the clan but there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. Now he was probably trying to chance Icestars' view of her father. And yet, she didn't doubt what he said.

"Is Ashkit okay?" She asked at last.

"He should be fine. It's not deep but he's not used to getting cuts like that yet. I feel bad for him."

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, getting tired of Nightwinds' attempt to shove the blame at her father. "I need to go. See you later," she said as she turned around, in search for Shadowthorn.

Once Icestar heard the Medicine cat walk into the den, she wandered around camp until she found him. She spotted Shadowthorn in an in-depth conversation with Hawkwing and Stormtooth. That was a terrible combination. Unless he was trying to mend the rift between them but she figured that would be impossible.

She padded over to the three toms before a fight broke out. "What are you talking about?" She asked, trying to sound casual. All of them had serious expressions except for Shadowthorn who had the small hint of a smile.

"Shadowthorn was telling us how to settle our fighting once and for all," Stormtooth told her with an odd expression that she couldn't place.

"He said we should have one final fight and see who survives," Hawkwing said with a glare over to Stormtooth, who returned it right back.

Icestar almost broke into a coughing fit from pure shock. "That's a terrible idea!" She exclaimed which was returned with three confused looks. Did all of them like the idea? "I need to talk to you," she said to her father and pulled him aside.

"I heard you hurt Ashkit a few days ago," she said, only slightly accusingly.

He didn't bother denying it. "What's your point?"

Icestars' eye twitched for a moment. "Why?"

"Cats need to learn to be tough at a young age so they won't grow up sheltered and weak," he answered seriously, as if his answer actually made sense. "Look at what happened to you. You thought you lost your parents when you were a kit. And now, you're the leader of Forestclan. That wouldn't have happened if you didn't have to go through such pain."

"You didn't have to attack a kit though! That's irrelevant!"

The stern look she was given made Icestar almost regret speaking her mind but she didn't take anything back.

The silence stretched out for many heartbeats as the two cats simply looked at each other before Shadowthorn said "I think I made my point," he said and was about to turn away.

"Wait," Icestar begun. He looked at her but she didn't know what else to say.

The tom sighed. "Sometimes, it doesn't seem like you have any idea what you're doing," he said plainly. "The clan would probably be better off in my paws." With that said, he stalked away.

Icestar moaned to herself as she watched her father disappear. Where did that come from? Either way, she refused to believe him. Father or not, Shadowthorn shouldn't be left in charge of a clan. That's her job; that' why her came to her in the first place. Because he knew she would do a better job. Or at least, that's what he told her.

She turned around as well and saw Featherstripe walking by. She stopped the deputy quickly. "Could you gather up the four please?" The she-cat nodded and Icestar went into her den. She knew she didn't need to explain what she meant by 'four,' since it was quite obviously referring to the four guards.

Moments later, the cats entered and the leader got right down to business.

"Alright, now that you're all here-"she paused and blinked a few times to make sure her eyes weren't lying. "Where's Bluefire?" She asked after noticing the she-cat didn't come in with Streamheart, Rockstorm and Dawnfall.

"Featherstripe couldn't find her," Streamheart told her.

Dawnfall scoffed. "She's probably not even trying."

"Where could she have gone?" Icestar wondered. Bluefire was always careful to let someone know when she left camp. If no one knew where she vanished to, someone was wrong. "Streamheart, Rockstorm, you two go look for her."

They nodded and Dawnfall asked, "What about me?"

"I need you to stay here," she answered. "Make sure no fights break out," she added, thinking of Hawkwing and Stormtooth. The orange she-cat narrowed her eyes in offence but didn't argue and the others walked out to find Bluefire.

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The blue she-cat raced through the forest, unsure if she was actually making the right choice. She thought long and hard about it and came to only one conclusion.

Bluefire leaped over a row of bushes and the forest cleared, revealing the moor, covered in snow. She kept walking.

The possibility of finding the rebels still at the barn was slim. They should have decided to leave after the last fight. But she would at least be able to find some trace of them. She kept running until she reached the barn and paused outside.

Their scent was still there.

Three sunrises ago, when Redshade spoke to her, what he said made much sense. She remembered it well. _Have you asked Starclan yourself? No; only Icestar has. That's not enough for me. I truly believe joining together is not the path we should take. If I was wrong, Starclan would have told me so!_

Perhaps he was right. There was so much she needed answers to. And then there was Shadowthorn. That tom had a terrible legacy and Icestar let him join the moment he walked into camp. They were keeping secrets from the entire clan and she had enough of it. She wanted the truth. Maybe fighting them was the only way to find out what was truly happening.

Besides; there wasn't much keeping her in Forestclan. Bluefire never liked Icestar before. They first met in a border fight and she was quite surprised when she was chosen to be one of the honored guards. Most of the cats close to her were also skeptical about the way the clan was led. Once she got a position close to Icestar, they began to avoid her.

Bluefire took a deep breath before she walked through the entrance. She already thought up what she would say ahead of time but there was no doubt she'd get attacked the moment they see her.

The she-cat walked inside and let out a large sigh in relief when she saw no one was there to be seen. The scent was still slightly fresh but she could tell no one has been inside in at least a sunrise. Bluefire walked out and almost gasped when she caught a scent trail. Why she didn't notice it before, she didn't know. Either way, Bluefire followed it.

She walked around the barn to the back. She's never been past the barn before and had no idea what to expect. Once she got past the barn, the path ahead was quite clear. She actually saw some cats in the trees ahead. Judging by their position, they were probably planning to leave the same day. It didn't look as if they spent too long looking for a good place to hide.

Bluefire walked forward to the rebels, keeping herself in plain view. Sneaking up on them was the last thing she wanted to do.

As the blue she-cat got closer, some of the rebels noticed her and were probably panicking. Two toms came to greet her: Redshade and Greyshadow. They didn't look happy to see her.

"What are you doing here?" Greyshadow hissed. He wasn't in great condition; the grey tom had a few bad scratches on his side and back.

Bluefire took a deep breath through her nose and recovered her courage. "I want to join the rebellion."

Redshade's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" He asked at last.

"I thought about what you said," she answered calmly. "And I now know there is too much uncertainty to keep following the crowd. I'm not sure what to believe anymore and I'm going to find out the truth."

"You're too close to Icestar," Greyshadow told her with a distrusting tone. "You could easily be a spy."

Bluefire waited for Redshade to agree but he just stared at her, right into her eyes.

"Right?" Greyshadow asked when the red tom said nothing.

"No, I believe her."

Bluefire and Greyshadow both stared at him in shock. "What?"

"Her eyes aren't lying… I believe you, Bluefire."

"There are too many risks!" Greyshadow insisted.

"It's not like we have any secrets," he shot back calmly. "Where ever we go, we're bound to be found by someone eventually. We're too close to Forestclan camp to stay hidden for long whether she tells someone or someone finds us."

Greyshadow didn't argue but he didn't agree either.

Redshade gestured for the she-cat to follow as he walked deeper into the trees. She went after him cautiously. Why was this so easy?

Redshade soon stopped walking when he reached the others.

Bluefire felt her heart sink. The rebellion was looking as pathetic as it did before many warriors left to join it. Apparently, only Snowpelt survived the battle and still, he wasn't looking too well; no one was.

Redshade, Greyshadow, Rainshadow and Snowpelt were covered in wounds. Only Echopaw was unhurt because she didn't fight. It looked like everyone has been tended to by the Medicine cat apprentice, however. They all turned and looked at the newcomer in confusion.

"Bluefire says she wants to join," Redshade told them, waiting for a reaction.

A flash of hope sparked in Rainshadows' eyes but he quickly crushed it. "We can't trust her," he said. The tom was lying on his side but he got to his paws, trying not to show the limp he now had. "Redshade, you can't seriously be considering it."

"I am," he answered simply. "No one will join us if we reject everyone who tries."

Everyone knew Redshade made a good point yet they still argued. Bluefire waited as they went back and forth on the matter. She wasn't offended in the slightest; she was expecting as much. If they wanted to trust her, she'd let them. Bluefire didn't plan on betraying them in the slightest but that wasn't the reason she joined. She simple turned against Forestclan to decide for herself what really happened behind the scenes.

The others eventually agreed reluctantly. If Redshade was okay with Bluefire joining, they couldn't sway him. But she still wondered why he was so quick to accept her.

But it was enough for Rainshadow. She tom walked forward after the debating was over, still trying to cover his limp. "I'm glad someone else from Shadowclan came," he said with a sincere smile. He truly wanted it to be true; that Bluefire wasn't a spy.

"Glad to be here… But this little rebellion is looking pretty feeble," she pointed out bluntly. "Why are you still so close to the barn?"

"We planned on leaving for a new area tonight," Snowpelt told her. "We couldn't leave right away because of our… uh, condition."

She understood. It would be difficult to go through enemy territory while everyone was injured. However, staying any longer would be risky.

"Bluefire," Redshade spoke up to get her attention. "In consideration to the situation, I think it would be best if someone kept an eye on you. Just for now."

"Fair enough."

"I also thought Rainshadow would be the best choice for the job since you two were clanmates."

"I don't mind," she answered and glanced at the tom.

"Anyway," Redshade continued. "As I said, we leave tonight for a new place to camp out."

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It was obvious Redshade put a lot of thought into where the rebels would go. When night fell, the few cats snuck through the snow-covered trees and walked alongside the Thunderpath. They spent a fair amount of time trying to get everyone across the path. It was difficult to time everything perfectly since every cat was injured in some way.

Everyone got across eventually and they continued north. Their destination was Highstones. Redshade explained his reasoning on the way up.

_No one goes up there anymore since they merged the clans. If we do see anyone, it would only be a few cats who even we could outnumber. No one will expect it. _If worse came to worse, the rebels could take cover in Mothermouth.

The cats soon reached another part of the moor which allowed them to see the Highstones in the distance. Without hesitation, they moved on.

"We know where they're going. Let's just go back now."

"But we could find out some secrets or something if we stay longer."

"Redshade said so himself: they have no secrets."

"He could have just been saying that…"

"We already found out what we came to learn. There's no need to keep following the rebels."

The two cats continued to argue the topic as the rebels got smaller and smaller in the moor.

"You just don't want to keep following your sisters old friends," Streamheart said with a scowl.

"I don't want to keep following them because we there's no point," Rockstorm replied sharply. He could only last so long alone with Streamheart.

The she-cat eventually agreed and they began to head back to camp.

Rockstorm and Streamheart have been told to find Bluefire. They found her scent trail in the forest and were shocked the find where she ended up when they reached her. To think Bluefire joined with the rebels was quite the surprise. Both of them first assumed it was a trick somehow but at least Icestar would know if Bluefire was acting as a spy. She wouldn't do something like that on her own.

So it had to be true. Bluefire betrayed them for the rebellion. Rockstorm had to wonder if he would do the same if he wasn't determined to stick with Icestar out of respect.

Either way, the two warriors got closer to Forestclan camp, mentally preparing themselves to share the bad news.

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**A/N: This chapter took a very long time to write for some reason. Oh, the hours I spent~**

**Anyway, if anyone is expecting **_**something **_**to happen ****between Bluefire and Rainshadow, forget it. He still has his eye on Bramblestripe, remember? Yeah.**

**Also, I don't plan on showing the conversation between the two guards and Icestar about Bluefire. The next chapter is reserved but other things… Ohhh get ready: Chapter 16 will be a good one. Heheh…**

**Oh and if you're wondering who Frostpath is, it's Frostpaw, Streamhearts' sister. I completely forgot about her warrior ceremony so I threw it into an earlier chapter and now I'm using her name a few times to make up for it. Whoops.**

**Well thanks for reading and don't forget to review. Hearing your opinion and thoughts is what I look forward to most.**

**Have a nice day~**


	16. From Bad to Worse

_Chapter 16_

Bluefire joined the rebellion. Icestar learned about that the day Rockstorm and Streamheart returned from spying on the she-cat. The leader was shocked but on the bright side, she also learned where the rebels were hiding, Highstones. She didn't plan on using that information against them though, at least not yet. They were her enemies but she pitted them all the same. Icestar didn't even have to warn herself not to tell Shadowthorn about the news. That could very possibly lead it another merciless attack on the cats she used to be friends with.

Snowkit, Sootkit, Hollykit and Ashkit played and tumbled over each other in the snow just outside the nursery as their mothers watched. Ashkits' injury was close to healing completely but the scratches were still visible through his fur if one looked closely enough.

Icestar watched them for a moment when she picked up from prey from the fresh-kill pile, then carried it back to her den. She stopped outside and sat down before doing into the den. Ignoring the cold beneath her, Icestar began to eat the sparrow she chose, baring through the flavor. She'd prefer to eat a rabbit or a least a mouse but no cat could be picky in leaf-bare.

The white she-cat looked up from the bird and noticed her father walking out of camp. Where was he going? Why didn't he at least mention he was leaving? Icestar sighed and wondered if all past leaders had trouble with being the leader over their parents.

She knew it was about time she faced the truth, despite not wanting to believe it. Inside, Icestar knew Shadowthorn put a bad influence on the rest of the clan. He killed without a second thought and can attack a kit without apologizing. He treated death like it was nothing and believed only the strong should survive. She hated to admit it. She wanted to have faith in her father but there was no denying it. Shadowthorn wasn't helping the clan as much as he insisted.

Looking around, it was clear he had a strange effect on the warriors. Every time he walked into camp, everyone would hush their voices and avoid eye contact. They were afraid of him. Of course, there were the cats that treated him like friends. Shadowthorn had his group of cats who were always around. There were also the ones who didn't talk to him but didn't act afraid either.

He didn't do anything that would actually help the clan bond and grow, so why did he come at all?

_Sometimes it seems like you don't have any idea what you're doing. The clan would probably be better off in my paws._

That's what he said to her the other day but it couldn't be true. He said a while ago that he tried and failed to combine the clans and Icestar could succeed in his place. He wouldn't even think about taking her position as leader from her. Besides, it wasn't even possible. She had all nine lives left and she wouldn't just give it to him.

Icestar shook her head and sighed again. She hated to have such thoughts going through her head but she couldn't block them out.

Either way, the leader couldn't leave things the way they were. She needed to talk to Shadowthorn and tell him what she thought. Tell him that she doesn't like the way he's been doing things and it needs to change.

Icestar finished off the sparrow she was eating and forced herself to her paws. Since it would be best to talk to Shadowthorn as soon as possible, she began looking for someone who might know where he walked off to. Searching the whole forest for him would be a waste of time.

Then again, who's close enough to Shadowthorn to know where he goes when he leaves camp? Probably no one… Icestar stopped where she was and glanced around again.

Most of the cats in the area were sharing tongues. Out of everyone, few cats were walking around idly outside because of the cold. A lot of warriors were inside the den to escape the snow. At least the sky was somewhat clear.

Icestar eyed the camp entrance, about to begin her search for her father when Nightwind spotted her and patted him hastily. "Icestar, I wanted to talk to you," the dark grey tom started.

The leader hesitated for a moment. "Can it wait? I need to find Shadowthorn."

Nightwind tilted his head slightly. "Sure," he inclined with slight disappointment and stepped out of the leaders' way.

Icestar gave him a thankful nod and ran past him, into the white forest. The snow crunched beneath her paws as she quickly paced through the trees, searching for any sign of the toms' scent but none to be found. The sun already began to set as well.

The she-cat paused after a while of running and examined her surroundings. If was slightly difficult to see even her own paws in the thick snow. The chances of Shadowthorn spotting her and speaking up were slim.

She suddenly remembered that using up all her energy running wasn't a smart idea. Icestar moved slowly this time, not wanting to accidently run past her father without realizing.

_I might as well figure out what I'm going to say to him since I'm alone;_ the leader decided when she got near the edge of the forest by the river. She looked out into the stretched out moor and saw no movement. She highly doubted he went to the barn since the rebels must have left already and he had no reason to hide from anyone. No, Shadowthorn was probably just hunting in the forest; some part she didn't check yet.

Icestar turned around and headed for the river. Once she reached it, she carefully leaped to a stone lodged into the ground over the water level. The river was frozen but she didn't want to risk cracking it. Never having a reason to test it, the she-cat had no idea how much weight the ice could hold before breaking. Personally, she didn't want to find out; especially in leaf-bare.

The white cat continued past Sunningrocks and back into the forest. She stopped for another moment and heard a few faint paw steps in the distance. Whoever it was could have been a hunting party or border patrol but she only heard enough steps for one cat.

Icestar continued moving until she saw a dark cat several fox lengths away. "Shadowthorn," she called, grabbing the toms' attention as she hurried over. "I've been looking for you." By the time she found him, the sky had turned dark and the sun had almost disappeared.

"What a coincidence," her father replied. "I was just about to come find you."

She managed a brief smile but wanted to get straight o her point. "I need to tell you something," she forced, glancing at him. He looked curious and didn't reply, waiting for her to keep going. "Well…" Why was she hesitating all of a sudden? Icestar planned out what she wanted to say but now she was face to face with him, she began to get nervous.

Enough, she told herself. I'm the leader of Forestclan; I can manage a simple conversation with my father without my heart racing. That alone wasn't enough to calm her down but she spoke anyway. "I've been thinking, and…" she made eye contact. "I don't like the way you've been doing things. I've had enough with all the pointless killings and I want it to stop."

He said nothing, expression unreadable. Icestar added "You told me you would help me lead the clan but you're just taking control and some of the cats are afraid of you. And- and the weak don't deserve to be abandoned but protected! Also, I won't allow you to hurt any more kits!" She looked at him intensely, waiting for a reaction but Shadowthorn listened without movement or expression in any way. Icestar randomly realized she was holding her breath.

"I see," she started at last in a deep, cool voice. "I'm somewhat surprised you stood up to me like that." The she-cat felt a spark of pride swell up as he spoke fondly. "However, it's too late for that."

The white she-cat blinked. "What?" She asked, confused, trying to piece together what he meant on her own before he gave an explanation. Her pride had rapidly turned to confusion and fear, like water turning into ice. And her father's words were certainty as chilling.

"While I am glad you managed to work up the courage, you're too soft," he said flatly. "I was wrong to put so much faith in you." The tom sighed and looked almost disappointed while Icestar hadn't had a single idea of how to respond. "You simple aren't capable of holding such a responsibility like leading Forestclan." There was no more fondness in his eyes. Instead, they were as cold and expressionless.

Icestars' mind was in shambles. What was he saying? Her brain felt blank; there were a million different thoughts spinning around too fast for her to keep track of, leaving a feeling of emptiness. "W-what do you mean?" She asked fearfully, afraid of the answer.

"I mean that I'm taking over."

Icestar couldn't see straight and she couldn't think straight. She was too bewildered to understand what was happening. She suddenly found herself lying on her side, resting in the cool snow. The white she-cat could smell rust in the air and was shocked to see the snow around her was stained scarlet red. Did Shadowthorn just attack her?

The she-cat looked down at herself and saw the fur on her chest soaked in her own blood. She glanced over to her father, who had blood on one of his front claws. Yes, it was certain; he had just slashed her across the chest.

What was happening? Why was this happening? This came out of nowhere! Why?

Icestars' eyes were wide with many conflicting emotions and she felt herself trembling over the uncertainty. She felt sick and her heart was beating so quickly, she thought it was going to burst at any moment. She managed to look her father in the eyes. There wasn't a hint of guilt and he didn't look the least bit apologetic though it was difficult to see since the sun set so quickly. It was as if it knew what was coming and didn't want to be around when it happened. "W-wh…." She couldn't speak either. The words were choking her, and her tongue felt like it was glued to her mouth.

"You seem confused," the tom said sarcastically. "I already told you: you're too weak. A clan as big as Forestclan needs a strong leader like me. You can't handle it. You're a fool, Icestar, and you always have been."

Icestar felt like she had just been hit by a monster. She was still unable to think straight; she tried and failed to wrap her head around what was happening. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing heavily. When she looked up again, she noticed three cats have joined them. She'd met them all once before. They were Owlgaze, Whiteshade and Silentclaw; Shadowthorns' friends in Starclan. They someone appeared in almost solid forms and all gloated around Icestar.

"Starclan," the leader muttered once she recognized them.

Shadowthorn laughed for a moment. It was a cold laugh that sent another shiver down her spine. "How naïve… These cats are not from Starclan; they're from the Dark Forest!" He informed with a wicked grin.

Icestar, of course, had heard of the Dark Forest but never thought much of it. The cats that get sent there aren't allowed to join Starclan and are doomed to wander in the shadows alone. How was it possible for them to appear?

"Shadowthorn," Owlgaze said mockingly. "You shouldn't laugh at her like that." The words countered the she-cats' expression; She was smirking just as much as the other three.

"You're not one to talk," Whiteshade snapped, still enjoying the situation. "After the way you treated that pathetic deputy, Wolfclaw, for so long."

The level of confusion she was feeling has increased but she didn't bother to put too much thought into that comment. There were other more pressing matters to worry over.

I don't know why this is happening, Icestar thought as the four cats laughed over her. But I'm not going to cower on the ground any longer even if he is my father…

Their laughter quieted down as she slowly rose to her paws. The injury she got wasn't enough to kill her but it still burned like a raging fire. Either way, the white she-cat stood her ground. She bit back her surprise and confusion and replaced it with confidence. Shadowthorn wasn't kidding; he truly intended to take her position as leader. If that was the case, she simply couldn't allow it. Kin or not, she had to stand up to him!

"I won't let you have Forestclan," she said with her teeth clenched. The blood from her wound had stopped but her fur was still dripping, making an unmistakable mark in the white snow.

"If only you showed that kind of strength sooner," the tom sighed. "This could have been avoided."

"What are you talking about?" The Dark Forest tom, Silentclaw, asked. "You planned on betraying Icestar the moment you showed yourself." Shadowthorn just chucked, keeping his eyes on Icestar.

Who was the tom that was staring at her? He looked exactly like her father but he acted nothing like him. She didn't want to believe it but the truth was standing right in front of her with claws out, ready to strike.

"You can try to take my clan away but I have all nine lives; it'll take a life time to kill me!" Icestar declared bravely. She honestly didn't know where she found to energy to say something like that. Perhaps she was still in disbelief and the cat standing in front of her was just someone trying to get in her way, not the father she trusted for so long.

"Then I'll get rid of you the same way I killed Ashstar," Shadowthorn announced.

Ashstar… You killed Ashstar. Realization hit her as hard as Shadowthorn's next attack. Icestar was too stuck in shock to dodge the tom as he jumped forward and dug his claws into Icestars' flank.

She yowled in pain but couldn't break free. The worst part was that he wasn't letting go. Shadowthorns' claw stayed in her chest, right beneath her neck.

Icestars' vision began to get clouded and she felt herself doze off, still enduring the burning she felt. She blacked out for a moment, unable to see herself or anyone else. There was a faint light which began to get brighter as she felt more pain suddenly rush through her body. The light diminished a heartbeat later before anything really happened.

Icestar woke up. She must have been out for only a moment because Shadowthorn was still smirking above her, claws stuck in her pelt. Did she just lose a life? No that was impossible. When a leader loses a life, they're supposed to speak with Starclan first before waking up. Did they not meet anyone because of the Dark Forest cats? What was happening!? Panic swept over her once more, leaving her struggling just to breath.

"You're losing lives a little too quickly," Shadowthorn said as if reading her mind. "You simply don't have the time to chat with Starclan. You'd be dead before you could finish. Knowing that, you must have woken yourself up before it was too late." None of that made any sense to her.

It didn't matter. Icestar tried kicking her father off her but she lacked the energy. She needed to get out of here. Shadowthorn was going to kill her.

"You lost two lives already," he added.

"What?" Icestar muttered. She wanted to say 'it's not possible' but she couldn't get the words out, as if they were dislodged in her throat. With his claw still inside, she would keep losing lives until they're all gone or until she managed to free herself.

Without another word, Icestar felt herself fall into unconsciousness again and went through the light blinding process once more, but It lasted longer. Did that mean she was losing more lives or less?

When Icestar woke up again, she was feeling numb. Too much pain had been thrown into her body. When the blood-covered she-cat opened her eyes again, she saw the dark forest cats began to fade away and Shadowthorn looked worried. She must have missed something.

She vaguely heard voiced that progressively got more clear

"… We.. ve… go…"

"Wh… abou… Icestar?"

"Just leave her here. She'll bleed out eventually."

The leader watched hopelessly as the three dead cats faded into nothing and Shadowthorn escaped through the trees. Why did they suddenly leave? What was happening?

There was no energy in her body. She couldn't move or speak and didn't even consider moving her head to look around. She gazed off in one direction, waiting for nothing. Then a cat emerged from the trees. Fear sparked inside her when she thought it was Shadowthorn but it wasn't. Instead, a dark grey tom rushed to her side.

"Icestar! Are you alright? What happened?" The voice was concerned.

The she-cat smiled when she recognized who it was and fell back into unconsciousness for the third time that day, feeling reassured, knowing she would be in safe paws.

_Nightwind..._

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The grey medicine cat let out a deep sigh and sat down, leaning against a tree in exhaustion. He didn't know how but he managed to run into Icestar after she was badly injured and losing blood fast. Deciding to ask questions later, Nightwind jumped into _Medicine Cat Mode_and hurried in many different directions to find the right herbs for her. He started by finding cob webs and padded them on the over-sized gash on her chest before searching nearly every bush, tree and rock for herbs. He wasted a few precious moments brushing the snow away with every step he took but the tom managed to find what was absolutely necessary to help his leader.

After doing what he could, Nightwind carried the fragile she-cat away from where he found her. He wouldn't want her attackers to re-appear. He laid her down under a thick tree surrounded by bushes. The thin twigs wouldn't keep her warm but at least they were out of view. They were also near the edge of the territory. Not too many cats would go so far. They should be safe.

Nightwind had to stay in the dark about what happened until Icestar woke up but the worst thing he could do is rush it. One thing was clear; she lost three lives in one day. Who would do something so terrible?

The grey tom shook his head and stayed alert on the surroundings. He'd get all the answers, if not most, when Icestar wakes up. For the moment, the medicine cat needed to keep watch even if he wasn't a great fighter. Something told him not to bring her back to camp just yet. He didn't understand enough yet, and moving her around her state wouldn't help.

He couldn't even imagine what the leader has been through. Whatever happened, it must have been terrible. The most he could do is stop her from losing any more lives and give her a reassuring smile the moment she opened her eyes.

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**A/N: Plot twist! Hahaha! **

**Well that was loads of fun but let's get some things clear:**

**The part about Icestar losing lives so quickly is made up. I don't know what it's like to lose lives so quickly since it only happened to Tigerstar is canon. He probably didn't have time to talk with Starclan nine times when he was attacked either.**

**I'm kind of worried about how to this turned out but I think it'll suffice. **

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this. We have 7 more chapters(including the epilogue) so now, things are really going to take off! No more fillers!**

**So anyway, **_**please**_** tell me what you think.**

**Have a nice day~**

**(thanks to SilverShadow1142 for being my beta reader)**


	17. Hiding the Truth

_Chapter 17_

Breezetail wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. After returning from hunting in the former Shadowclan territory early in the morning, the tom realized Icestar hasn't been seen since last night and only because Bramblestripe pointed it out first. In an attempt to find her, he also noticed Shadowthorn was also gone. Those two obviously had their secrets, which was why Breezetail was hesitant to panic although he still found it odd.

Rowanpelt convinced him into giving them more time before going on a full-scale hunt for Icestar. (He couldn't care less about Shadowthorns' wellbeing) Knowing the pale tom was right, Breezetail settled down near Sunhigh with a mouse by his paws and Bramblestripe at his side.

They indulged in idle conversation before Breezetail noticed a cat enter the camp. Bramblestripe followed his gaze.

Shadowthorn ran and stopped abruptly once he was in the camp. He looked worried as he quickly scanned the area and moved towards the Great Rock with a fast pace. The tom leaped onto the rock and called everyone to gather hastily.

Breezetail and Bramblestripe shared a glance before they got up and joined the crowd by the Great Rock. A few heartbeats past before the dark tom began to speak. He hesitated for a moment, getting himself under control.

"I bring… shocking news," Shadowthorn began, waiting a moment as he scanned over the cats below, who all held curious and confused expressions. "Last night, I learned that Icestar has died."

Breezetails' head began to throb. What Shadowthorn said didn't make any sense. He stared at the dark tom with a glassy look, unable to comprehend what he was saying. He began breathing rapidly, hardly aware of it. Was he having a panic attack or something? Breezetail turned to Bramblestripe who seemed to be holding back tears.

The cats around him had similar reactions. All of them had trouble believe it.

"How is that possible?" Oakwind demanded tensely.

"Sh-she still had all nine lives!" Heatherwish pointed out.

Shadowthorn nodded solemnly. "I saw what happened…" He paused for a moment and closed his eyes. When he looked at the cats again, he had a more serious and determined look in his eyes. "She was attacked by the rebels. She was attacked in such a way that could take all nine lives from a leader. I tried to stop them but they already fled by the time I reached them; I was too late."

Bramblestripe turned to Breezetail in time to see him stagger backwards and bump into someone. He dug his claws into the ground and his expression darkened.

"It… it couldn't have been… Could it?" He muttered to himself, staring intensely at the ground.

"Breezetail," Bramblestripe whispered, looking miserable.

The pale tom tensed and clenched his teeth. "The rebels… Redshade… He must have done this. He told me he would if it came to it!" He distinctly remember the time they met in battle not too long ago. Redshade said his main priority was freeing the cats in Forestclan and Icestar would have to come afterwards. Which meant if she refused to turn sides, he would fight her.

"Redshade wouldn't…" Bramblestripe began but Shadowthorn began speaking again after letting the information sink in.

"They also took her body… I won't let the rebels get away with this injustice," Shadowthorn growled. "We'll avenge Icestar and finally bring an end to the rebellion!" The cats who weren't busy mourning the lost leader shouted in agreement. The dark tom began going over his plan to take down the rebels but Breezetail stopped listening by that point.

"Icestar," he muttered. "You can't be… dead." Breezetail looked up at the cats around him. He noticed Oakwind wasn't taking it well either. The brown tom stricken with shock; it wasn't hard to imagine what was going through his mind. Other warriors looked more excited to attack the rebels again than mourning their leader.

For once, Stormtooth wasn't glaring at Hawkwing. He held a collected facial expression but his eyes said something else but Breezetail wasn't able to read it and he didn't want to dwell on it too long anyway. Hawkwing however, didn't look too upset. He was obviously surprised but his lack of sadness was to be expected after what's happened between the two. At least he wasn't cheering.

Noticing movement behind him, Breezetail turned to see Nightwind just entered camp. Judging by the confused look plastered on his face, he assumed the medicine cat heard everything. He watched as Nightwind shook off his bewilderment and padded quickly to the medicine cat den. Heartbeats later, the grey tom emerged with a mouthful of various herbs and ran out of camp. Breezetail almost found it offensive how Nightwind just left after learning of Icestars' death. He acted like whatever he was doing was more important.

He tom forced himself to forget about it. It wasn't his problem. He didn't care. All he worried about at the moment was mourning for the cat he loved and getting revenge on the killer.

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"That went well," Shadowthorn commented as he shuffled his legs through the fresh layer of snow. After the announcement, he left the camp to go 'hunting' and led himself towards the Shadowclan territory to talk with his colleagues.

"You're so cold," Owlgaze said with a smirk. "You act as if you didn't care for Icestar at all; your own daughter."

"What's it matter?" He asked with a sharp glance.

Whiteshade added "Didn't you feel anything towards her?"

The dark tom sighed and faced the three Dark Forest cats. "I couldn't bring myself to love her when I realized how useless she was," he said calmly. "If Icestar couldn't stand to my expectations, then what is there to love?"

The three didn't answer in the short amount of time Shadowthorn gave them. He continued speaking heartbeats later. "Now then- we have to deal with the rebels quickly."

"Shouldn't we check on the body?" Silentclaw asked, referring to Icestar. "Just to make sure no one dragged her off or something."

"What's the point?" Owlgaze asked. "A dog or fox probably dragged her away."

Silentclaws' ear twitched slightly in annoyance. "Don't get overconfident. We can't be too careful. If there is a singer clue on that body that shows Shadowthorn killed her-"

"There's not," Owlgaze exclaimed harshly. "She never attacked back. No one would ever know even if someone found her body."

"Enough, we have other things to worry about," Shadowthorn announced followed by an irritated groan from Silentclaw.

"We need to focus on the rebels for now," Whiteshade added. Shadowthorn nodded and continued to explain the next step.

The dark tom described the plan and told the three cats to search the forest for the rebels. They wouldn't roam too far from the camp so they had to be around somewhere just waiting to get picked off. After they were found, the Dark Forest cats are supposed to find Shadowthorn when he's alone and report.

"By the way," Whiteshade started before they left. "How are you going to become the new leader of Forestclan? There are those two deputies in the way…"

"I already thought about that. Featherstripe and Wolfclaw both hold the position of deputy. Being the peace lover that she was, surely Icestar wouldn't want them to fight over leadership," he answered with a sly grin and began to pad away.

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Icestar opened her eyes and blinked several times to regain her vision. She waited for her surroundings to become less blurry before attempting to stand up but noticed all her energy was drained. She found herself lying in the snow surrounded by several dead shrubs underneath a tree.

_Where am I? _She wondered trying to remember what happened. Icestar noticed a familiar face staring at her with a hopeful gaze.

"Nightwind?" She said or at tried to. She couldn't speak properly and just mumbled nonsense.

"I'm relieved to see you're awake," the grey tom said and gave her a warming smile.

_Wait: if Nightwind's here… then… it really happened. Shadowthorn…_ Icestar fearfully turned her attention to her chest and clenched her teeth together when she looked at the large gash that was given to her by her father. By the looks of it, Nightwind already applied cobwebs and several herbs to the wound. _He saved my live._

The medicine cat read her expression and silence and began to explain what happened. "You've been asleep for two sunrises. Honestly, I'm surprised you woke up so soon. I guess Starclan doesn't want you to leave us yet," he said with a sympathetic smile.

"Two sunrises?" Icestar managed to say with a dry mouth. She wasn't certain if the words were pronounced correctly but Nightwind understood. "What's been happening?"

The tom sighed and shifted his weight. "Shadowthorn convinced the clan that you've died. I can't help but think he's had something to do with your injury."

Icestars' train of thought immediately leaped to her friends. "Yeah… Shadowthorn attacked me without warning last ni- uh, the night before," she told him, replaying the whole event through her mind.

"Fox dung," he spat earning a glance from Icestar. "I knew that cat was up to no good," he added to himself.

_That's right, _Icestar thought. When Nightwind saw Shadowthorn for the first time talking to Icestar, he was obviously against the idea of him being anywhere near the clan.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as her sight began to get foggy. "I should have listened to you that night."

The tom panicked for a moment. It wasn't his intention of blaming the she-cat. "This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is! I should have never trusted him! Even though he's my father… I shouldn't have-"

Nightwind chocked. "What?" It would be difficult for anyone to believe Shadowthorn and Icestar were related because of their very different appearances. She never told anyone about her parents.

Icestar nodded. "Yes, Shadowthorn is my father. Cloudheart and I look more like out mother."

_Cloudheart! That's right: she warned me about Shadowthorn too… _

"I see," Nightwind said slowly, probably having trouble absorbing what he just heard. "Well that explains why you let him into the clan so willingly."

"He's been playing me the whole time," Icestar continued as her eyes began to tear up while she tried to fight it. "I'm such a fool, just as he said."

"Stop it, Icestar," Nightwind commanded. "There was no way you could have known this would happen. Instead of blaming yourself, you need to do something about it. Shadowthorn is constantly getting closer to becoming leader of Forestclan and destroying the rebelling."

Icestar pushed back the tears swelling in her eyes. "You're right," she said softly. "I need to stop him… I've been wrong this whole time. He convinced me into combining the clans just so he can end out on top. But how can I stop him?"

Nightwind shrugged. "I don't know. You need to decide what to do on your own."

Icestar nodded slowly and looked at her paws over the thin layer of snow. Nightwind obviously tried to clear most of it away before setting her here.

A long moment of silence passed before Icestar looked back at the medicine cat. "I need to find the rebels and help them separate Forestclan," she announced with confidence. Nightshade seemed to agree with the plan when he smiled encouragingly. The white she-cat began to stand up but he quickly stopped her.

"Wait," he meowed swiftly. "You can't move around just yet. The wound needs more time to heal or else it'll just get worse."

"I can't wait," the leader complained. "I need to act fast before Shadowthorn... does… something," she added lamely, not sure what her father was planning.

"You don't even know where they are. You could wander around the whole forest and that injury won't heal as soon as it would if you sit still. It could still get infected."

"Wrong," Icestar retorted with a grin. "I know exactly where they are." Nightwind tilted his head questioningly. "And I could get there today if you'd let me. You're going to tell the leader what to do?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "And actually, you're not as much of a leader as you once were."

"What do you mean?"

"You lost four lives within the past two sunrises," Nightwind told her.

"Four?" She gasped and paused before adding more. "My fa- Shadowthorn would have taken them all if you didn't come when you did."

Nightwind smiled. "I'm glad I got to you in time. I just wanted to ask you a question but it's not important anymore."

Icestar quickly went back to the previous conversation about looking for the rebels. Nightwind stood firmly against her, refusing to let her wander off and put her health at risk. Icestar insisted that the situation was more important than her health but the stubborn medicine cat wouldn't budge.

"Fine," Icestar finally said sharply. "I can't wait too long so how about another two sunrises? Then I'll head to the Highrocks."

"Highrocks? That's where the rebels are?"

Icestar nodded. "Will you come with me?"

Nightwind didn't reply right away, probably thinking about the consequences. She had no doubt that he wanted the four clans back but he would need to think everything through anyway. "I would be happy to."

Icestar smiled and rolled over to her side since she wasn't going anywhere soon.

"Until then, I'll still have to head back to camp once in a while so no one suspect anything. To be safe, I'll need to find a safe place for you around here."

Icestar nodded slightly and the medicine cat left to scout out the area around them.

Once alone, the white she-cat sighed and closed her eyes. She felt horrible. Everything thinks she died and she can't let them know the truth for a while longer. Icestar didn't want to think about what her friends were thinking. Breezetail, Bramblestripe, Rowanpelt and everyone else: they were probably mourning for her.

Icestar moaned and stretched out her legs for a moment.

At least she wouldn't have to keep everyone in the dark for long. Even Shadowthorn thought she was dead. _She'll bleed out eventually. _She remembered someone saying that before she blacked out. Icestar was dead to everyone in the forest. The rebels may or may not hear about it before she reached them; Icestar had no idea so she'd just have to find out when the time came.

However, Icestar looked forward to seeing the look on her fathers' face when she reappears. That is, if she could manage to face him again after all that's happened. She still felt sick with the feeling of betrayal. It gave her a tight feeling in her chest and she didn't like it. But this wasn't about her. Despite her discontent, Icestar would have to challenge Shadowthorn soon.

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**A/N: ****Yes, I made you wait quite a while once again. I won't bother with coming up with some fantastic excuse. I just got a new video game… Been occupied with that… Sorry. Seriously, I feel bad about it but at least this is out now. A short chapter, yes, but it's out. The next one won't take as long! **

**I personally think I could have done a better job showing emotion. I'll work on that. (5 more chapters + epilogue)**

**Have a nice day~**


	18. A Different Path

_Chapter 18_

Breezetail rested in his nest, staring tiredly at his paws. He vaguely heard the cats outside the Warriors den talking amongst themselves. It was just past dawn and snow was falling softly above the forest.

He barely got a wink of sleep and felt exhausted. Only a night had passed since he learned about Icestar's death and haunting thoughts have been jumping through his mind since. He felt pathetic. The tom knew he could have saved her somehow. He must have done something wrong that caused her death. Or maybe he missed something; just some trivial comment or action that could have stopped her from going into the forest… Maybe if he talked to her more instead of avoiding her, she could have spent that night talking with her friends instead of wandering through the forest.

Breezetail sighed through his teeth. It was mouse brained to think he could have changed anything. The same thoughts reappeared after he pushed them away and yet the tom knew there was no point. No point in thinking Icestar would still be alive if he did something small like go on hunting patrols with her more often or gathered to courage to have an idle conversation. Even if there was, thinking about it won't help. Breezetail believed that but he couldn't bring himself to forget about the subject and act like everything was okay.

Since Icestar created Forestclan, he's felt so lonely. Yes, he still had Bramblestripe, Rowanpelt and everyone else but it was like the cat he loved was gone. Breezetail still saw her on a daily basis but they rarely spoke. When they did, he always hoped things would go back to how they used to be: when she would smile and laugh without forcing herself but that was never the case. Plus, when they did speak, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was like a different cat; it never felt the same.

The pale tom dropped his head onto his paws and closed his eyes, blocking out the dim light that snuck through the walls around him.

_Was it really Redshade who killed Icestar?_ Breezetail's claws dug into the moss beneath him. He hated thinking about it but he needed to get his thoughts straight. _It doesn't seem possible but who else could have a reason for attacking her?_

He tightened his grip on the moss before releasing and raising his head, glancing outside. He watched as the snowflakes slowly drifted down until reaching the ground.

Breezetail forced himself to his paws and walked outside the den, stepping into the frosty snow. _I have to find out if Redshade is really to blame for this…_

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It was long and terribly boring but two days went by since Icestar had been injured. Nightwind agreed to go with her to the Highstones at last even though her wound didn't fully heal. It didn't get very close to healing completely but was at least better than two days ago.

Icestar stretched out her front legs and waited for the Medicine cat to return. He had to spend the night back at camp, though it took a lot of convincing. Icestar insisted she would be fine for one night and they didn't want the clan to get suspicious. Once he finally agreed, she had the whole Treecut Place to herself. It wasn't considered 'safe' since Twolegs could appear at any moment but it was better than being found by a border patrol. At least, that's what Nightwind managed to convince himself. As expected, he never left until he placed a pile of herbs conveniently near her and explained how to use them in case something happened. Nightwind went through the same routine every time he had to leave and it began to get on Icestar's nerves. She just nodded every time despite how tired she was of hearing his speech several times a day.

Nightwind returned around Sunhigh. The sky was layered with grey clouds, covering the sun. The snow went off and on throughout the morning. The snow had stopped for the moment but it was most likely going to begin soon enough.

"How are you faring?" The grey Medicine cat asked once he jumped on top of the fence that split the Treecut Place from the forest. He leaped down and padded over to the white she-cat who rested surrounded by bushes. He glanced at the pile of herbs and noticed all that was taken were a couple of Poppy Seeds.

"Well enough," Icestar replied, holding back a yawn. "How's the clan?"

"Fine." There with a slight hint of hesitation in Nightwinds' voice that the she-cat noticed and returned by narrowed her eyes. The tom understood that she didn't believe him. "Alright, a lot of cats are still distraught."

"That's a strong word to use."

"Well… I'm mainly talking about your friends. Bramblestripe, Breezetail, you know. They're not handling your death well."

"I expected as much," she replied and paused before adding on. "I can't keep them in the dark for long; I own them that much."

"I understand," Nightwind said with a smile. "The faster we reach the rebellion and explain the situation, the faster all of this will end."

"Yeah!" Icestar exclaimed excitedly and jumped onto her paws, only to flinch from a sudden spark of pain in her chest.

"Hey, take it easy," the Medicine Cat warned. "We'll have to go slow. Honestly, I'd prefer to keep you from moving around even longer but a deal's a deal."

Icestar got past the fence by going through a hole while Nightwind effortlessly jumped over and they began walking. Their destination was the Highstones but it was on the other side of the forest. Reaching it would be tough since they couldn't be seen by anyone. They agreed to head north of the Treecut Place, staying at the very edge of the forest territory. The trip included going through the old Thunderclan camp but no one was to be seen.

They happened to run dangerously close to border patrol. Nightwind made sure he was seen by them so they wouldn't start looking for him once they noticed any strange scents. The trick worked and they didn't run into any trouble until reaching the Thunderpath.

Icestar and Nightwind watched and several monsters raced back and forth across the path and amazing speed.

"Isn't there a tunnel somewhere that goes underneath the path?" Nightwind asked the she-cat. Another monster ran past them, causing the Medicine cat to jump slightly and flatten his ears against his head.

"Yeah," Icestar meowed and looked in both directions for the tunnel. "There it is." She began moving towards the tunnel quickly before slowing down, remembering the wound on her chest. At a slower pace, the two cats made their way to the tunnel. The closer they got to the path, the stronger the terrible scent got. Icestar didn't want to stay too long and risk getting the stink stuck on her pelt.

They appeared on the other side and heading towards Highstones. "You're sure the rebels are there, right?" Nightshade asked after a brief moment of silence.

"Yes, I'm sure." It only just occurred to Icestar that it's possible that they already moved since they knew Forestclan sent spies. Her stomach began to turn when the idea came.

The sun was setting by the time Highstones was in sight just up the hill. Snow also began to lightly fall again. Icestar paused once the Mothermouth was in view, completely tense.

Nightwind stopped and turned to her. "What's wrong? Is the wound hurting again?"

"No, I-"she hesitated. "I'm worried."

Nightwind sent her a sympathetic look. "You don't know how they'll react to seeing you."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I… I've done some terrible things. I've been tricked into attacking them. I stopped counting how many times I made them fight their friends. What will Redshade say to me?" She looked down at her paws, almost invisible in the snow underfoot. She felt the chilly snowflakes land on her head but didn't react.

The sun began sinking behind the distant mountains although it was hardly visible through the clouds.

"I don't know," the grey tom said honestly. "I have no idea what will happen when they get up there but I do know one thing: you're just as much of a victim as everyone else. We've all been tricked and deceived by Shadowthorns' lied and surely Redshade will see that. Whether he forgives you or not is what we're about to find out. Either way, I'll still be by your side."

Icestar looked up at him, surprised in what he said. Nightwind smiled at her sincerely. He had so much faith in her after everything she'd done. She even began to feel bad for not making the effort to get to know him better in the past. "Nightwind…" It took a moment to figure out what to say. "Thank you," Icestar replied simply yet full heartedly.

The tom nodded and Icestar regained her courage to keep walking. The two cats padded through the snow and up the hill to the Highstones. Icestar held her breath once she saw them. All the rebels were in the entrance of the cave protected by the snow but still in the dim light that entered.

The she-cat kept walking until they noticed her. Instantly, the rebels jumped to their paws, all tense and on-guard. She spotted Greyshadow, Snowpelt, Bluefire, Rainshadow, Echopaw and Redshade all in the cave. Echopaw was the only cat who didn't leap into the front lines. Snowpelt looked frightened by the others all stood their ground, including Bluefire.

Once they knew she was there, Icestar walked up closer so it would be easier to talk. When she and Nightwind stopped again, they were a few fox-lengths away from the band of rebels. She looked directly at Redshade.

The red tom looked back at her with discontent, making her heart sink. He glanced at the wound on her chest and his alerted façade broke for a moment and was replaced with surprise.

Silence filled the air between them for heartbeats that seemed to stretch out forever. Redshade finally broke it by demanding "What are you doing here?"

_Just come out and say it; get it over with._

"I came to apologize," Icestar replied. The rebels' expressions didn't change aside from confusion sweeping through their eyes. Surely they wouldn't make it so easy for her.

Icestar had no choice but to continue and hope they understood. "I have been wrong this whole time," she began and closed her eyes for a moment. "I know it won't be easy to forgive me and if you don't, I understand."

"What are you talking about?" Greyshadow demanded. "You expect us to believe you?"

The she-cat looked at the tom and stopped herself from sighing. "Then I'll explain… I have been mouse-brained to think combining to clans would be a good idea. I only realized that recently when Shadowthorn betrayed me."

This news sent some clear unease through the cats but they all stayed quiet as the white cat continued.

"Shadowthorn tricked me and everyone else into thinking one clan was the right choice. He used me as a pawn and tried to get rid of me the moment I wasn't needed. He would have killed me if Nightwind didn't come along when he did. This injury is proof of that," she said, giving the gash on her chest a glance. "And now I see that Shadowthorn has been putting the idea into my head since we met. Everything I believed for the past few moons is wrong. I regret everything and thinking about my many mistakes is painful. All I want now is to stop Shadowthorn from his tyranny and save everyone who is still trapped under his control, since he is close to becoming the new leader of Forestclan."

Was that okay? Did she say the right words? Icestar kept wondering, clenching her teeth together as she watched the rebels for their reaction.

They all gave each other several different looks. Some were still unconvinced while others looked unsure.

"We couldn't forgive you for the cats who were killed in battle," Redshade said at last.

"I don't forgive myself for that either," she admitted. "The loss from the last fight was my fault. I could have stopped it. I wish I did but no matter how much I want to bring them back, I can't."

Redshade kept giving her the same, unreadable look for many heartbeats. Icestar wondered what he was thinking desperately.

"Do you believe her?" Rainshadow asked the red tom.

"Well…" He tilted his head. "It all matches up when you think about it." He looked back at Icestar. "However, it's not easy to trust you. There is no real proof that Shadowthorn was the one to give you that wound."

Icestar opened her mouth to argue but Nightwind was quicker and spoke first. "What she says is true, Redshade." All eyes were on him. "You and I spoke before you left and started the rebellion. You know that I have always been against the idea of one clan. Would you expect me to back Icestar up on this if it was all a lie?"

Redshade didn't have an answer at first. He waited a while before looking back at Icestar. "What exactly do you want with us?"

"I want to join you," Icestar said without hesitation. She had her mind set on the decision for days now. "I want to amend for my mistakes with your help. And I want to get Shadowthorn back for using me."

Icestar didn't get an answer for quite a while. After she finished speaking, Redshade and the others got together and began talking too quietly for her to overhear. All she heard where mumbled discussions and the occasionally clear word that didn't help figure out what they were saying at all.

Without much warning, Redshade broke out of the group and faced the white she-cat. "Alright, I believe you." Some of the cats behind him looked shocked as if they didn't expect him to say that. What where they talking about? "And I'll let you join the rebellion. Nightwind can join too if he wants."

"Really?" Icestar asked, surprised at how quickly she was accepted in.

"Yes, however-"his eyes darkened slightly."-I still haven't forgiven you. I'm only letting you in because compared to what we've been through, you can't do anything to bring us down farther than we've already gone. That, and every cat counts."

Icestar didn't reply right away. She hoped to be forgiven but wasn't getting her hopes up. Her first priority was to stop Shadowthorn and save her clanmates. Proving herself had to come later. "Thank you," she said with a nod.

"And I accept your invitation," Nightwind said sharing a smile with Redshade and the two cats walked into the cave with the others. Everyone was still tense around her but Icestar knew she could bear through it for a couple of days.

Greyshadow and Rainshadow didn't look happy about Icestar joining. They remained alert and prepared in case something happened. Snowpelt was always easy to convince. He opened up almost immediately, much to Icestars' relief. Bluefire seemed skeptical, as if she was still trying to figure out if the whole thing was just a ploy to gain the rebels trust. It was impossible to tell what Echopaw was thinking about the matter since she was already deep into a conversation with Nightwind.

Some time passed just by talking with the others. Icestar didn't do a whole lot of talking herself but waiting for the others to finish their discussions was better than awkward silence.

The sun set giving off an illusion that the grey clouds were much darker than they actually were. The snow stopped falling again yet the land was still covered in it as far as the eye could see. The world outside the cave was quiet and dreary.

"I think we should discuss what to do about Shadowthorn," Redshade started, gathering the attention of everyone around him. "Is there anything else we should know to help bring him down?" He asked to Icestar.

"Yes," the she-cat said almost too quietly. "First of all, he convinced everyone in Forestclan into thinking I'm dead."

The rebels stirred slightly. Redshades' eyes opened wider, probably seeing how useful the fact could be. "Anything else?"

Icestar thought about it for a moment before answering. "He has is group of followers in the clan but I know not everyone is on his side. There are still a lot of cats who don't support Forestclan but are too afraid to do anything.

"He's also working with three cats from the Dark Forest somehow. I've seen vague images of them. I believe their names are Owlgaze, Silentclaw and Whiteshade."

"Whiteshade?" Echopaw choked from shock. "I've heard about him before." Everyone turned to look in the silver she-cats' direction. "I overheard Featherstripe and Coldstone talking about him back in Riverclan."

The white she-cat nodded. "Makes sense; those were the three cats who spoke to the leaders and convinced them to join together into Forestclan."

"So…" Snowpelt began. "All of this has just been one big scheme created by the Dark Forest?"

"I was right," Redshade muttered to himself. He was always saying that he believed Starclan wasn't involved in the merging of the clans but he probably wasn't expecting someone to give him proof unless it was Starclan themselves.

"Apparently, they've all been working together since Shadowthorn tried to control the forest a long time ago," Icestar added.

"We could ask Starclan for help," Nightwind pointed out. They were already so close to the Moonstone, it was worth a try.

"Right," said Greyshadow. "But aside from that, how will we fight Shadowthorn? We're still harshly outnumbered."

"Icestar could make some special appearance to the clan and convince some cats to leave. Not that many warriors could have turned to Shadowthorns' side so quickly, right?"

Redshade nodded. "I'm sure many cats would leave if given the perfect opportunity."

The rebels decided on invading the clan the next day. Their plan was to get Icestar on the Great Rock and announce that she was alive and quickly explain what was happening. She had to say that she was wrong about everything and tell the warriors to go to the Highstones. They were willing to risk sharing their base with everyone if it meant getting more on their side.

Before Shadowthorn and his friends could chase her down, she was run out of camp. The cats against the rebellion would most likely chase as well as those who would want to join. Those trying to catch Icestar wouldn't keep running for long since they wouldn't feel comfortable doing too much without Shadowthorn's say-so. If that wasn't the case, then they would have no choice but to have the final battle a little sooner than expected.

They began going through the final details of the plan. Icestar lost track of how much time has passed since they began to conversation. It was very dark outside by the time everyone decided to get some sleep.

However, Icestar told everyone that she wanted to speak to Starclan that night.

"Do you want me to come along?" Nightwind asked with concern.

Icestar shook her head. "No, I'll speak to them alone."

"Are you going to ask for their help?" Redshade asked the she-cat.

"Yes. I… I also need to apologize."

"I understand," he answered simply. "Good luck."

Icestar thanked him and she and Nightwind went down the dark tunnel, heading to the Moonstone. It was always difficult to get their without a Medicine cat to guide the way.

The glowing stone soon came into view, forcing Icestar to blink a few times, getting her eyes adjusted to the light. The stone light up the cave beautifully. It seemed some of the clouds parted to let the moonlight through. Starclan must have wanted her to come tonight.

She glanced at Nightwind before setting down next to the stone. She took a deep breath and pressed her nose against the cold rock and closed her eyes. It seemed like something happened but when she opened her eyes again, she was in a misty forest but it didn't resemble Starclan at all. Shadows covered the ground and he couldn't see past the trees surrounding her as they were shrouded in darkness, yet it all seemed vaguely familiar. It felt like a dream.

Icestars' paws moved forward. She wasn't able to control her movements as she was forced into a clearing. It was Fourtrees. A large crowd of cats filled the area.

Icestar followed everyone's' gaze and looked up at the tallest tree. On a high branch was a white cat who looked exactly like Icestar. The she-cat stood above everyone, looking down on them all.

Without warning, a cat from a higher branch stepped into view. At that very moment, the branch that the white she-cat was on broke and she fell to the ground.

Icestar watched in horror as she remembered what she was seeing. She was reliving a dream she had as a kit and finally understood. The cat who fell was Icestar and the cat who came out on top was Shadowthorn.

Everything that has happened has been foretold a long time ago and she completely forgot about it. Now it all made sense.

The prophecy appeared in her mind. _Trust will die and death will revive. Only then will darkness befall the path of ice. _Even that was pointing towards the events that already took place. Was she supposed to put the pieces together before anything happened and stop it? How could she have known?

Everything around her; all the trees and cats, began to disappear. She shut her eyes and when she opened them again, Icestar found herself in a mist forest circled by trees. Her heart was beating as she tried to understand why she got that dream.

Icestar glanced around her before her eyes landed on Cloudheart. The white she-cat stood a few rabbit-lengths away from her with an unreadable expression on her face. She almost forgot about the dream immediately as she focused her thoughts on her sister.

_Here goes nothing._

"Cloudheart," Icestar began, ordering the words through her mind. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"To ask for help?" Icestar was positive Cloudheart knew the other reason.

"No- well, yes, but… I came to apologize. I am so sorry for everything I said to you. I was foolish and blind to what was really going on." Icestars' eyes began to get clouded. She was feeling much more emotional with her apology than when she was talking to Redshade. She hasn't seen her sister in so long… "And… and-"

Cloudheart walked up to her stuttering sister and smiled warmly. "I forgive you, Icestar. I knew you would come to your senses eventually."

"I… thank you," Icestar managed to say. She was so worried about speaking to Cloudheart again and she forgave her within heartbeats. "I'm sorry," she repeated. Yes, Cloudheart already forgave her but she regretted everything; she felt the need to keep saying it over and over again.

"Now is not the time to focus on the past; you must fight for the future now: you, the rebels, and all those who will join you."

"I-" She cleared her throat. "-I understand."

"For now, you should worry about Shadowthorn. Leave the Dark Forest cats to me," Cloudheart added. Once she got that out of the way, the she-cat looked at her sisters' wound and tilted her head. "The truth can be painful."

Icestar nodded slowly. "I should have believed me when you warned me about Shadowthorn."

"I shouldn't have expected you to believe me; it's not something that's easy to take in."

She suddenly remembered the dream she just woke up from. "By the way… I want to ask you something." Cloudheart waited. "What was that? That dream I had before coming here?"

Cloudheart looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The dream! When I opened my eyes, I was in a forest- not this one, a different one. It was exactly like a dream I had as a kit."

Cloudheart thought for a moment. "Before you came here, you must first fall asleep. I suppose it could be possible to have a dream in the heartbeat after you fall asleep if someone from Starclan sent it to you."

"Then it would be from the same cat who gave me the dream as a kit… Who was it?"

"I wouldn't know," Cloudheart said with a shrug. "This is strange because if someone sent you a dream, I would usually know about it. I guess it could somehow be from some outside source."

"But… what?"

"Not everything can be explained."

Icestar sighed. She had a feeling she would never learn how that dream was given to her, or why. But now she finally understood.

"You must go now," her sister stated.

"But we've had hardly any time to talk," Icestar complained. She craved to have another pointless conversation with Cloudheart like they did moons ago.

"We can talk after the war. The others need you," Cloudheart meowed. She gave her a reassuring smile before Icestar began to wake up.

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**A/N: This chapter may or may not be later edited for better quality...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. This would have been out Monday but it was longer than I expected. I actually had to cut part of it out. But don't worry for the missing part will be put in the next chapter. This story will soon be coming to an end. Sad, I know, but there is always more to come.**

**Speaking of which, I'm looking for a beta reader for my next story. I figured I should start advertising that position now. I need someone to help pick out all the errors and mistakes and will be able to do the job quickly. If you have enough free time to do it, please send me a Private Message and I'll give you the story info to see if you're interested. **

**Chapter 19 will be out soon.**

**Have a nice day~**


	19. Stealing Allies

_Chapter 19_

Redshade stepped out of the cave, ignoring the cold snow beneath his paws. The tom padded through Highstone as if he had a certain destination. Instead, he was simply taking a stroll while Icestar spoke to Starclan. He only lasted a few moments before he wanted to get some fresh air.

The red tom went east, straying back into Forestclan territory and former Shadowclan territory. The moon broke out of the clouds surrounding it sometime ago. Aside from that area, the sky was shrouded in stormy clouds, dropping a light layer of snow throughout the night.

He needed some time alone from the others. He needed to think.

Redshade wanted to believe Icestar. She seemed honest and having Nightwind backing her up wouldn't make sense unless everything she said was true. The only thing stopping him from believing her completely was that he needed to be cautious. He held the rebels lives' in his paws. Redshade was their leader. If he messed up, everything they've worked for would be gone in an instant.

If Icestar wasn't tricking them, then it wouldn't be safe to second guess her. He needed to trust her. Yet so much was on the line.

There was that giant gash on her chest too. It looked pretty bad. No one would risk doing that to themselves just to trick someone. She could have just gotten attacked from a dog but then there would be bite marks. It had to be another cat who was truly trying to take all nine lives at once.

Redshade didn't know Shadowthorn too well but he would probably try something like that to gain control over the Forestclan. He seemed like a power-hungry tom who had little respect for life.

Then it all had to be true. Shadowthorn's attack must have shocked Icestar back into her senses. When she came to the rebels earlier today, she seemed more like her old self before becoming leader.

The tom didn't intend on walking too far away from Highstones but soon found himself deep in the marsh. The ground was covered in snow and frost as well as the trees around him. The cold along with the dark setting gave off an eerie feeling.

Redshade began to feel uncomfortable and decided he didn't want to stay for very long. He was about to turn back when her heard paw steps nearby. He froze and looked in the general direction. He didn't have time to run before a cat emerged from the trees but began to relax when he recognized the cat to be Breezetail. He'd always been on good terms with the tom.

When Breezetail noticed him, he was obviously surprised to see Redshade in such a place.

The tom opened his mouth slightly to say something but seemed to have trouble putting the words together. He was obviously struggling like he was being overcome with emotion about something.

It seemed as if something life changing occurred to the Forestclan warrior that Redshade had absolutely no knowledge of. What happened?

"Did you do it?" Breezetail asked coldly, making Redshade feel uneasy. "Did you kill her?"

It only took a heartbeat for the red tom to everything together, making it clear to him what Breezetail meant. He thought Redshade was the cat who _killed _Icestar. He still didn't know the truth and won't until the next day. He wasn't in a position to explain to Breezetail that Icestar was alive. Speaking of that fact could somehow interfere with the plan. It was unlikely that someone would overhear, considering where they were and the time, but he couldn't risk it. There was also the possibility that Breezetail would tell his friends about Icestar surviving and word would get around.

Not much could happen in one night. However, Redshade refused to make any mistakes now that they were finally making progress.

So what could do about Breezetail? Act ignorant? Go along with it? No, that would end badly…

"Who? What are you talking about?" Redshade decided on ignorance. He would pretend to have nothing to do with Icestar's _death_ and throw suspicion at Shadowthorn.

"Don't play dumb!" the tom hissed, obviously enraged. "Icestar is dead and it's because of you! Don't deny it!"

Redshade held back a sigh. _You're at naive as Snowpelt._

Not to take pride in it, but Redshade always thought he was a pretty good liar when it became necessary. He held a fake expression of shock and gasped. "… Icestar is… dead?" He whispered.

Breezetail began to question the facts he had been told and didn't reply aside from continuing to glare.

"How is that possible? What happened?" Redshade exclaimed, hoping he wasn't going too far and seeming unbelievable.

The pale tom narrowed his eyes, staring straight at Redshade. The look he received got Redshade to wonder if Breezetail was prying into his mind, learning what really happened. "You're lying," he said after a long moment of dark silence.

Redshade was surprised. How did he know? Either Breezetail was much smarter than he thought or he just wasn't a very good actor.

"You already know what happened to her!

He began to hesitate, unsure of what to say. Breezetail sounded too confident to argue with. Was there any point now? Either way, he couldn't risk it. "I don't know what you're talking about," Redshade replied sternly.

"You're lying," he accused and dug his claws into the ground. Redshade got the impression that the tom indented on attacking. It was hard to imagine the hatred Breezetail was feeling at the moment.

"No, I'm not," the red tom insisted, beginning to worry. He really didn't want to fight Breezetail since everything would become clear on the next day. "I didn't kill her!"

"Redshade!" That wasn't Breezetail's voice. Redshade turned slightly (not wanting to leave his back wide open to the angry Breezetail) and saw Nightwind burst through the trees in a hurry. "Are you okay? I heard arguing and I-" he paused when he saw Breezetail.

"What are you doing here?" Breezetail asked the Medicine cat.

"I uh…" Nightwind was going through the same thought process as Redshade. They didn't want to say anything to Breezetail until tomorrow. "Redshade, we need to go."

Redshade nodded and began moving away from Breezetail.

"Hey!" Breezetail called after them, still not understanding. "I never got an answer out of you."

"For Starclan's sake, I didn't kill her!" Redshade growled, getting tired of the situation.

"No one else would do it! How can you say that!?" He demanded.

"Because… Because Icestar's not dead!" Redshade yelled and froze the moment after realizing what he said. Breezetail angered expression disappeared and was replaced with pure shock.

Nightwind glanced at both of them and urged Reshade to leave. Agreeing, Redshade and Nightwind ran back towards Highstones after making sure they weren't being followed.

_I hope I didn't just ruin everything._

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Icestar felt her heart rate increase the closer they got the Forestclan camp. She was nervous. Nervous something would go terribly wrong.

Greyshadow and Bluefire walked with Icestar as they journeyed through the snow covered forest. They were simply tagging along for protection in case something went terribly wrong. Redshade decided to stay back, knowing he was the main target of many warriors who were searching for the rebels. The plan was to swiftly run into camp and announce to the clan that Icestar was still alive and convince them to fight Shadowthorn.

Hopefully, everything would work according to plan and they the rebels will have the power to fight Shadowthorn and his followers straight on.

The only sound she could here was the crunching snow beneath her paws. The unsettling silence did nothing to quell her worries.

"Relax," Bluefire told her quietly after a moment. "No one will expect something like this so there's no way for it to go wrong."

Icestar nodded and smiled meekly, only feeling slightly reassured.

They began closing in on Forestclan. Icestar led Greyshadow and Bluefire towards the Great Rock, where they plan to make the announcement. Getting on it should be easy as they would be protected by plants.

Before running into the camp, the she-cat began to hesitate.

"It'll be fine," Greyshadow told her. "You need to have confidence."

He was right. No one would follow if Icestar panicked in front of everyone.

Icestar walked forward, breaking through the wall of trees and bushes and headed straight for the Great Rock.

It was currently Sunhigh when the camp is the most crowded. It would be easy to grab an audience.

Icestar leaped onto the rock as well as Greyshadow and Bluefire who stayed slightly behind her.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Rock for a clan meeting!" Icestar yowled as loudly as her voice allowed. Hearing her voice again would be enough to make the warriors curious.

It took only a heartbeat for someone to notice Icestar was actually alive. Soon more and more cats gathered in bewilderment.

"Icestar's alive!"

"Shadowthorn was wrong."

"What happened?"

"Is she with the rebels?"

Many different comments and questions sprang into the air but Icestar ignored them all and got straight to her point. "Cats of Forestclan, You have been lied to by Shadowthorn! I have not been attacked by rebels but Shadowthorn himself! He was the one who gave me with wound -" she said, looking down at the visible cut on her chest. "- in an unsuccessful attempt to take my nine lives!"

"His goal is to take control of Forestclan and rule without mercy. It was not Starclans' will to join tougher but his. We are all victims on this scheme. So I ask that you leave Forestclan and join me with the other rebels so we can divide the clan and bring life back to how it should be!"

"But you were the one who told us to join together in the first place," Sunclaw said after getting over his surprise.

"True. This lie started long ago. I have been deceived by him just as badly as you have."

"I'll join with you," Bramblestripe called followed by a few others. Icestar felt relief come over her when she heard her friends reply.

The voices quieted down quickly when Shadowthorn entered the camp. "What's going on here?" He hissed before locking eyes with his daughter up on the Great Rock. He looked more shocked than anyone else. He hesitated before doing anything.

Shadowthorn shook his head, trying to understand why she was still alive. "She's lying!" He yelled unconvincingly after collecting his bearings. "Don't let Icestar get away with this!" He began running towards her. There was clear confliction in the group of cat while others knew what to do without second thoughts.

Some of the warriors below crept closer as well, apparently deciding to side with Shadowthorn instead of Icestar.

"If you want to join with me then come to Highstones! Soon we'll bring an end to this tyranny!" Icestar spoke quickly before she got surrounded. With that said, Icestar, Greyshadow and Bluefire jumped down and ran through the forest away from their followers.

It didn't matter if every cat in the forest knew where the rebels were now. They planned to Fight Shadowthorn as soon as possible, long before he decided to strike first.

The three rebels began making a loop around the camp before changing their direction to go straight to Highstones. The others were waiting to fight anyone chasing them if it came that.

While dodging trees and fallen branches, Swiftpelt and Leopardfang began to get closer. Several cats were following behind.

The two started closing in on the three. Before they got close enough to attack, Greyshadow and Bluefire spun around almost simultaneously and clawed both of the enemy warriors before catching up with Icestar.

Icestar didn't really like the idea of them protecting her as such. She wanted to fight for herself but she supposed it wasn't the best time to bring that up.

The three had to fight off several cats. Thankfully, many of the cats chasing them had the intent on joining and helped to fend off the attackers.

It would be too dangerous to run blindly across the Thunderpath so Icestar and the others had to make a detour and head towards the tunnel that would safely let them pass. The mob behind them consistently got smaller and smaller as they got farther away from Forestclan camp. Those who were left followed Icestar Greyshadow and Bluefire beneath the Thunderpath.

A few enemy warriors decided to run across the Thunderpath so they could cut the others off. Icestar noticed them and recognized Thistlescar near the front of the group. He was the third cat to run over the path and had his eyes locked on the white she-cat with a sharp glower.

However, Thistlescar got almost halfway when a Monster appeared out of nowhere and stormed across the path. Icestar staggered at the sight, wanting to stop in her tracks but forced herself to keep moving, unable to look away until she saw Thistlescar's body limp laying on the Thunderpath from the collision.

The event was enough to stop the attackers. Icestar and the others kept moving as they tried to remove the tom's body from the Thunderpath. She didn't wait to see how it went.

Icestar couldn't shake the thought that everything was going by just too quickly. At one moment, she was speaking to the clan about Shadowthorns' lies and the next, she was running from an entire clan, unsure who was friend or enemy all while trying to ignore the fact that she just declared war on her own father.

She forced herself not to think about the true weight she was holding and focus on running.

She, Greyshadow and Bluefire stopped and turned around to see who was still with them once they reached Highstones, still alert to any attackers. No one moved. About half of the clan stood behind them with expressions of worry, excitement and everything between. That was understandable since they all had only a moment to decide whose side to join. Icestar wondered how many potential allies were still awkwardly mixed in with Shadowthorn and his friends.

The white she-cat began scanning the crowd, seeing who joined. She was glad to spot many (but not all) cats from Windclan as well. She saw every Medicine cat, Featherstripe, Oakbreeze, Leafwing, Frostpath and many more. She already planned to get in the group at some point and find who just who exactly followed her.

"So," Icestar began loudly for all to hear. "I suppose all of you wish to join the rebellion and free the clan. Right?" Mutters of agreement rose into the air along with confident cheering. The she-cat smiled and continued. "Then we'll begin planning out plan of attack immediately."

As if it was planned, Redshade and the other rebels stepped out of the nearby cave and greeted everyone. Who quickly invited everyone to come inside the cave so they were out of plain sight and sent Rainshadow and Snowpelt to stay outside and watch for attacks.

Before he got to the point, Redshade side stepped over to Icestar and whispered to her. "You already know the plan and look pretty tired. You should get some rest."

Redshade was probably right. She was tired. Everything went by so quickly but all had an impact. Getting some rest would do her some good.

Icestar nodded vaguely and walked away from the crowd. She felt eyes on her as she padded away and turned her head slightly. Her heart leaped when she saw Breezetail watching her. He probably wanted to talk or saw something judging by his guilty expression. She kept walking before getting out of view without deciding if she should have stopped or not.

Redshade began going over their plan or attacking Shadowthorn and Icestar told herself to just talk to Breezetail tomorrow. Besides- she wouldn't know what to say to him. It would be better to chat after she got some rest and cleared her mind a bit.

There were so many things she needed to think about: Breezetail, Shadowthorn, the entire clan, the battle and more. To be honest, she didn't want to think about any of it. Not now, anyway.

_When did my life become so complicated? _Icetstar wondered as she curled up besides the cave wall and let sleep come over her.

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**A/U: Instead of giving you a million excuses, I'll just say this: Life happened. Take how angry you are at me for making you wait and multiply it by twelve. That's how upset I am over this delay. I could be done with this story by now if I stopped slacking... Uggh ,**

**Well anyway, so sorry for the wait. Again. I'm going to really work on getting this done soon, I swear. **

**Anyway... It's almost done! A few more chapters and Icestars' Reign will be over! Won't be long now. Until then-**

**Have a nice day~**


	20. Biting Back

_Chapter 20_

Icestar had a pleasant dream. Lately, her dreams consisted of her fears of failing to restore the four clans but tonight it was simple and peaceful. She was at Windclan camp with all her friends. Cloudheart was there along with Bramblestripe, Breezetail, Rowanpelt, many others and even Redshade for some illogical reason.

The warm feelings didn't last long, however. Soon Icestar felt a dark present and her friends and family began to fade away into the air as if they were never there. The camp became barren and eventually looked like open moor that held absolutely no meaning to her whatsoever. The sky darkened and she looked around frantically as the dream began to feel more and more realistic.

Icestar suddenly had complete control over her movements as if it was a vivid Starclan dream. Except this was something completely different.

She turned around once more and paused when she stopped the three cats that were friends with Shadowthorn- the cats from the Dark Forest. Whiteshade, Silentclaw and Owlgaze surrounded her, all holding dark expressions. They were invading Icestar's dream.

"You're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?" Owlgaze asked coldly with an icy glare.

"Your dear father wasn't too please to find you alive," Whiteshade added.

"Leave me alone," Icestar exclaimed weakly. What else could she say to them? She couldn't hurt them or control them in any way. The three cats were already dead and could do whatever they want.

They seemed to find her reply amusing judging by the smirks it earned her. "This could have been avoided if only you died when Shadowthorn killed you," Silentclaw told her, taking a step closer.

"Why are you even getting involved?" Icestar asked them, trying to stall. "How does any of this affect you if you're not even alive?"

Owlgaze chuckled mirthlessly. "We tried to change the clans' way of life for the better and got killed for our efforts. We have nothing else to do aside from rotting away in the Dark Forest so we might as well help Shadowthorn achieve our goal."

Icestar narrowed her eyes at the answer. How could they think controlling the clans as one was a good idea? Then again, she thought so too only days ago…

Icestar really just wanted the three to leave her alone. However, it was a good opportunity to get some information out of them. The cats were proud and arrogant. It would be easy to trick something out of them.

She held a lost, upset expression as she stared at the ground. "Shadowthorn… he always intended to turn on me, didn't he?" She asked quietly. Sure the Dark Forest cats would say anything to hurt Icestar if they saw the chance.

Owlgaze snickered and answered smugly, "Of course he did! Shadowthorn never loved you or your sister. He probably didn't love your mother either."

The other toms gave her a confused look, implying that she wasn't telling the truth. Icestar didn't expect her to go so far as to lie about Shadowthorn. Even if it wasn't true, hearing those words hurt. Icestar has been trying to ignore the fact that her own father tried to kill her for his own reasons. Or at least not think about it. She couldn't show any weakness or hesitance in her position with the rebellion.

Continuing the defenseless roll she took on, Icestar dug her claws into the dirt and avoided eye contact without saying a word as Owlgaze continued taunting.

"We all knew you wouldn't be able to lead Forestclan correctly. You're too weak and flexible. Trying was nothing but a pointless dream of yours, wasn't it?" The brown and grey she-cat meowed.

"Enough," Silentclaw said before Icestar could reply. The blue tabby turned his attention towards Icestar again. "We came here for a reason."

"What reason would-" Icestar was cut off when Whiteshade sprang forward in attempt to attack her healing wound. Thankfully, her reflexes reacted in time and she was able to step out of the way by a whisker. Now the reason for their visit was quite clear. There was no way to run from a dream.

Icestar tensed, preparing herself to fight back the moment one of the cats attacked again. _Keep stalling._

"Even if you do manage to kill me," Icestar growled. "It won't stop the rebellion for fighting. It won't change a thing!"

They were apparently done talking. Silentclaw jumped forward with his claws in front of him, aiming for Icestar. She tried to back away to the side but still managed to get scratched on her shoulder. There was very little blood, if not none at all.

She retaliated by sinking her claws into the toms flank. She figured she wouldn't be able to touch him since he was already dead and they were in a dream but somehow, she was able to. Surely any damage they took from her wouldn't do anything in the long run though.

_I just need to defend myself until I wake up. If I'm able to, that is._

Silentclaw bared his teeth and hissed before Owlgaze jumped in the fray, forcing Icestar to release and create a distance.

Whiteshade joined in only heartbeats after, making the fight remarkably unbalanced. Three to one: there was little hope of Icestar actually fending them off alone.

Owlgaze swiped at her while Icestar was distracted with the other too, leaving a deep cut on her side. Icestar grimaced and backed up again, becoming more and more nervous with every passing moment.

She dodged another attack from Silentclaw but Whiteshade shoved her to the ground and pinned her down, leaving her unable to attack back.

She wasn't sure if he would try the death blow or go for her already injured chest but contemplating didn't help in the slightest.

A thousand sullen thoughts warped through her mind, all revolving around what would happen if she died now. The rebellion would lose confidence, her friends would surely be distraught and Breezetail…

Her thoughts were cut short when a voice ran through the area.

"Icestar… Icestar!" Her name echoed several times before she felt herself being pulled away from the moor before she got the chance to even study the expressions of her attackers.

The white she-cat opened her eyes and gasped before looking up at who just saved her life. The cat standing next to her was Oakbreeze.

Icestar was still breathing heavily and her fur was clearly standing up. She just stared at the brown tom with a startled expression

"Are you alright?" He asked before noticing the scratched on her shoulder and side.

"Dear Starclan, what happened?" He exclaimed urgently. "Who attacked you?"

She looked at the injures and sighed. So those cats were really hurting her. Only when Oakbreeze pointed them out did she realize how much they stung. She'd have to get a medicine cat to look at the scratches at once.

"It's nothing," she muttered. _No, don't lie about this. _"Uh, well, the Dark Forest cats I mentioned attacked me in my dream last night."

"They can do that?" Oakbreeze gasped with horror.

Icestar simply nodded and the brown tom insisted she went to a medicine cat immediately, just as she was planning.

Icestar quickly got the scratches dealt with and browsed around her surroundings.

Mothermouth was crowded with cats even with the many that were outside the cave. The place wasn't meant to have so many visitors at once but she doubted Starclan would mind just this once.

She walked around to see just who joined the rebellion.

She couldn't think of any Windclan cat that she didn't see while wandering around, much to her relief.

She did notice, however, that Streamheart wasn't anywhere to be seen but her sister, Frostpath was. How sad…

Dawnfall wasn't anywhere either. Icestar didn't want to admit it, but she expected as much.

Featherstripe was talking to Bluefoot and Leafwing but she couldn't find Hawkwing or Wolfclaw. Hawkwing was expected as well but she was disappointed about Wolfclaw. He was stubborn and cold but she liked him for some unknown reason. He never did anything to get on her bad side. She didn't particularly want to fight him but since he sided with Shadowthorn, it was unavoidable.

She noticed Skypath, Brackenpath, Fernpetal, Tornear, Pineclaw, Mistystripe and many more. She was interrupted when Blackspot ran up to her in panic.

"What's wrong?" She asked the tom.

"Flowerfrost is still at the camp with our kits," he answered. "Silverheart is also there with Pinethorn and their kits."

"What?" Icestar exclaimed. "Why didn't they follow?"

"We agreed it was too dangerous to bring the kits through that."

Icestar felt like a mouse-brain. Why didn't she think about the kits? She must have been too distracted to consider them. How terrible…

"Then we'll have to get them out as soon as possible," Icestar said.

"You could send someone to get them once the attack starts. I doubt many warriors would still be at the camp by then," Blackspot suggested.

"That should work. Until then, they should be safe. Even Shadowthorn wouldn't hurt a kit for no reason." Icestar recalled when her father clawed Ashkit for tripping him not too long ago. In their position, the queens and kits would most likely stay out of view and out of his way.

Blackspot looked more assured and stepped away. Heartbeats after he was gone, Icestar turned around and froze when she saw Breezetail standing in front of her.

"Breazetail," she gasped, not expected to see him so suddenly.

"Hi," he said simply after a moment of hesitation. He came to say something specific to her but obviously had trouble getting the words out.

Icestar refrained from sighing after too much time passed. "I'm sorry," she eventually told him. "Sorry for not telling you sooner… About being alive."

"I'm just glad you're okay," he replied evenly. Breezetail was clearly happy to be talking with her but still nervous and anxious. "You probably didn't have a choice anyway."

"Yeah," she muttered and glanced away for a moment awkwardly.

Another long moment of silence dragged on as the two cats faced each other, unsure of what to say to the other.

"So we're going to attack the clan today?" The pale tom asked at last.

"Yes," she answered quickly. "Then things will go back to how they used to be." Icestar smiled timidly.

"That's good. I'm excited to go back to Windclan camp."

Icetar nodded. "And thank you."

"For what?" She had a feeling that Breezetail already knew what she was referring to but answered anyway.

"For not…" She faltered for a heartbeat. "For not giving up on me."

Breezetail looked surprised. "Uhh…"

No one ever mentioned it but back at Forestclan, Icestar could always tell by the way he acted around her. Before they stopped speaking to each other, Breezetail was determined to have casual conversations with her, just like they used to. He helped her forget about leading Forestclan and all the worries and stress that followed. She never thought much of it until recently; until she realized how different she became over time and how unhappy she truly was.

Icestar smiled at him and the tom smiled back, looking relieved. "And… about what I said a while ago at camp-" he was cut off before he could continue.

"Icestar!"

The she-cat turned to Rowanpelt who looked quite panicked despite being usually laid back. Whatever he was worried about must be important.

"What is it?"

"It's Bramblestripe! I can't find her anywhere," the brown tom exclaimed.

Breezetail coughed from shock. "What? But she wouldn't stay with the clan!"

"I remember her saying that she would join the rebels," Icestar added, trying to figure out where she was. "Maybe she just took a walk or something."

Rowanpelt shook his head. "She would have told someone. I already asked around; no one has seen her since we left the camp yesterday."

"Then…" Breezetail's eyes widened after a heartbeat, apparently realizing what happened to his sister. "She must have been captured!"

Icestar clenched her teeth. "That's terrible; we have to rescue her as soon as possible!"

"But how? If she has been captured, we have no idea what they've done to her. If we find her during the attack, it'll be hard to get her out of the fighting if she's too injured to join," Breezetail explained, thinking of the worst-case scenario.

"Then I'll send a rescue party before we attack to check on her statues. We'll arrive right after to distract anyone who tried to keep her at the camp," Icestar said confidently.

Rowanpelt shifted his weight. "Are you sure that'll work as you plan? A lot of things could go wrong."

"I'll think it through. In the meantime, we have to prepare to head out." Icestar stepped out of the cave slightly and looked up at the sky. The sky was clear for once and it was just about Sunhigh. The snow still covered the ground and the air was cold.

Shadowthorn wouldn't expect an attack so soon in the middle of the day.

Icestar left Breezetail and Rowanpelt to see how everyone else was doing. Redshade told her that everyone was ready and they all knew the plan.

They planned to send a smaller group straight towards the camp and grab their attention, drawing the warriors of Forestclan out. Meanwhile, the rest of the rebels would circle around and surround them from all directions. Unlike Shadowthorn, Icestar and Redshade weren't looking for high casualties. In order to stop the fighting before then, they would need to find Shadowthorn and somehow deal with him. Once the warriors realize their leader Shadowthorn was nowhere to be seen, most of them would lose confidence.

They also had the Medicine cats nearby and out of sight in case anyone gets badly hurt.

The rescue party for Bramblestripe and the kits already left. They were supposed to go around and sneak into the nursery for the kits then leaving to find Bramblestripe. It would be a quick job and the clan should be nearly empty, distracted with the attack, by the time they got the kits out so it would be safer to search for the she-cat.

Icestar was in the first group of rebels along with Redshade, Leopardflower, Rainblossom, Oakbreeze, Thornear, Minnowshine, Bluefoot, Darkflower and Rockstorm. They were closing in on the camp just after Sunhigh. The snow crunching beneath their paws was the only sound to be heard for a while.

Once they got closer, Icestar was able to hear voices from the clan cats.

Their job was to lead most of the warriors out of camp, thus making themselves bait as the other rebels surrounded them.

"So how exactly are we going to draw them out?" Icestar whispered to Redshade once the group stopped moving.

"I already went over it… Weren't you listening?"

"I was sleeping," Icestar reminded him flatly.

"Right," he muttered. "We're going to get closer to the clan and-"

"Hey!" The rebels turned towards the voice instantly and saw some Forestclan cats scowling at them. They were Darkstorm, Longpelt, Brownpelt, Mudfoot and Spottedfire.

"This could work too," Redshade said quietly before tensing. Icestar and the others did the same, preparing to attack.

"The rebels are attacking!" Spottedfire yelled. "Get some backup while we hold them off," he said towards Mudfoot who quickly sprinted away in the other direction.

The warriors were outnumbered but with the camp so close, they wouldn't have to wait long.

"Fight for now but back farther away from the camp once the reinforcements come," Redshade whispered and sprang forward at Spottedfire. Leopardflower started fighting Longpelt and Rockstorm took on Darkstorm. Icestar ended up fighting Brownpelt as the other rebels stood back. They wanted the fighting to drag out; outnumbering them wouldn't help.

The way Brownpelt fought was strange. He used moves from every clan instead of just Riverlclan. From the way he fought now, it was difficult to tell he originated from Riverclan at all. He had no problem fighting in the forest.

Icestar expected everyone to pick something up once the clans joined but it seemed Brownpelt made a special effort to learn from the others. Considering that fact, it wouldn't be surprising that Brownpelt chose to stay in Forestclan.

Icestar barely dodged an attack from the tom and countered by leaping forward and digging her claws into his shoulders then throwing him to the side. Brownpelt hit a tree but quickly got back up and charged towards the she-cat, hitting her off her paws. Before she could get up, he clawed her side, forcing her to cringe in pain. Before he could attack again, Oakbreeze came from behind him and bit into his back.

Brownpelt yowled and spun around, continuing to fight the tom.

Icestar stood up once more and watched. She knew she could have handled Brownpelt alone but still appreciated the interference.

She noticed more cats coming from behind the trees and alerted the others.

"Fall back!" Redshade commanded and the rebels abandoned their enemies and ran back as more Forestclan cats came.

Once they got far enough, the rebels stopped and prepared for the warriors to catch up.

Before they could arrive, Icestar padded over to Oakbreeze. "Thanks."

"No problem," he meowed. "This is only step one, after all. No need to get hurt so soon."

Icestar nodded in agreement. She would have to be more careful in order for everything to work out correctly.

The Warriors joined them heartbeats later. They were badly outnumbered. It seemed that the majority of the clan has come. Shadowthorn was probably expecting every rebel to come together instead of in separate groups. She didn't see her father anywhere and assumed he was taking cover back at the camp with a few others.

Icestar and the rebels bravely went into battle again against the current odds, hoping the others would arrive soon. Unless something unexpected happened, the other groups should be circling around and some to surround the warriors in moments. Meanwhile, the group to rescue Bramblestripe and the kits should be returning.

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**A/N: That took a bit longer than expected. . . To be honest, I think each chapter is taking so long because I'm getting tired of the characters and story-line. Ready to start something new, ya know? Remember how the last chapter took two weeks to get out? I noticed the chapter right before that one only got 3 reviews… **

**Well anyway, only three chapters left! Hopefully the whole thing doesn't seem too rushed… Well thanks for reading and please leave a review!**

**Oh, one more thing... I realize some people are probably dissapointed with the scene with Breezetail but don't worry: they'll chat again real soon.**

**Have a nice day~**


	21. Ending Chaos

_Chapter 21_

"Icestar and the others should be getting close to the camp by now," Breezetail whispered to the cats around him as they watched the Forestclan cats unsuspectingly live their lives at the camp.

Breezetail, Rainshadow, Frostpath and Snowpelt were waiting at the edge of camp, watching the clan for any sign of attack. They were supposed to search for Bramblestripe the moment the clan began to stir and run out to counterattack.

Rainshadow had to beg to get in the rescue party. He clearly still cared for Bramblestripe despite all the time apart. Personally, Breezetail pitied the tom. Forestclan was his only chance to ever have a relationship with Bramblestripe but instead of taking advantage of it, he has been fighting to separate the clan and separate from the she-cat as well. Redshade must have realized it as well and let him join the group to rescue her.

They didn't have to wait long before a cat burst into camp and alerted everyone by yelling the rebels were attacking. Shadowthorn was supposed to be the leader but the warriors didn't wait for him to say a word before the majority of the clan ran into the forest. Perhaps they weren't clear on Shadowthorn's position in the clan either since he never went through the tradition of traveling to the Moonstone and getting nine lives.

"Alright, let's go," Breezetail said evenly and the four jumped out of the hiding spot and began searching the clan. Everyone was in an unorganized panic and failed to even notice they were from the rebellion. Thanks to the snow, Breezetail, Frostpath and Snowpelts' fur helped them stay unnoticed while Rainshadow wasn't so lucky. He kept near the dens and spent very little time in the open.

"Over here," Snowpelt called near the medicine cat den, gathering the others over. Breezetail looked inside and saw Bramblestripe siting lazily in the back. She looked uninjured aside from some small scratches.

Of course they would use the den that no longer had use since all the medicine cats fled the clan.

"Bramblestripe," Breezetail and Rainshadow called simultaneously and ran over to her after giving each other a short glance. Frostpath and Snowpelt kept watch.

"Breezetail, Rainshadow," Bramblestripe exclaimed and got to her paws before giving both toms a thankful muzzle. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Are you alright?" Breezetail asked quickly. "You don't look hurt."

"They didn't really touch me," she shrugged. "Apparently, the warriors were just trying to keep as many cats as they could away from the rebellion but I was the only one who got caught, thank Starclan. I was of no use to Shadowthorn so they didn't bother with me. Figured they would use me against Icestar somehow but that's not a problem anymore, huh," he explained with a grateful smile.

"Well let's get you out of here," Rainshadow beamed and turned towards the den entrance but two warriors appeared a heartbeat after.

"What's going on here?" Streamheart demanded as Hawkwing looked inside and scowled.

"I'll hold them off," Rainshadow announced. Before anyone could say a word, he threw himself at Streamheart, shoving her away from the entrance. Frostpath joined in a moment after and distracted Hawkwing. Breezetail had no choice but to go along with their _plan_ and get Bramblestripe out.

Only as he, his sister and Snowpelt got out of the den did he notice that Streamheart and Frostpath were sisters. He almost wanted to stay and watch their encounter but harshly shoved the thought away and headed for the nursery.

"You're okay to fight, right?" Snowpelt asked the she-cat as they reached the den.

Bramblestripe nodded confidently and they cautiously walked into the small opening. Inside was Silverheart, Flowerfrost, several kits and Minnowshine on high alert who relaxed at the moment of recognition.

"Thank Starclan," he breathed. "I was worried someone was going to hide us somewhere as soon as I heard there was an attack."

"There's no need to worry now," Snowpelt grinned. "We're here to save the day!"

The queens nodded warily and gathered up their kits. Flowerfrost held Ashkit by the scruff in her jaw and Rainshadow picked up Hollykit. Silverheart and Minnowshine carried Snowkit and Sootkit themselves. The kits were worried and panicked, not quite understanding the situation. Breezetail remembered Icestar telling everyone not to speak of the clans in front of the kits a while back. He wondered if anyone did as she said and whether or not the four young cats knew a thing about what was happening.

Seeing as everything was going well, Breezetail guided everyone outside and scanned the camp for Rainshadow and Frostpath but didn't sight them anywhere. He assumed they joined the others in battle. Either way, he needed to focus on his first priority and get everyone to safety before he could join the fight.

.

Redshade found himself being targeted by many warriors at the same time. He was the clear leader of the rebellion so he should have expected to be hunted after. Thankfully, the others helped fight them back.

The small group was in a difficult situation as more and more Forestclan warriors piled out of the snowy trees. They weren't outnumbered for long before the other groups attacked from different sides, surrounding the warriors. However, even as they were surrounded, the warriors put up a good fight.

Redshade managed to separate himself from the fighting for a brief moment as he took on his surroundings. A frenzy of cats was in every direction he turned to. He searched for anyone who needed help but was tackled from behind before he could move.

_Fox dung, _he spat in his mind. _I should have noticed someone was behind me._

He kicked the attacker off him and noticed Dawnfall was the cat who was after him now. She always sent shivers down his spine. He didn't understand and doubted anyone else did either but for some reason, Dawnfall was almost emotionless and cared for no one. She was a strong supporter of Icestar but had no trouble sticking with the clan as soon as the leader turned sided. Not the mention the she-cat showed no grief when Shadowthorn reported Icestar's death. At least, that's what he heard.

The orange warrior wasted no time in sprinting back at tom and mercilessly sinking her claws into his shoulder and side followed with quickly yanking them back.

Redshade groaned once he saw the wound she left. Blood was dripping down his leg and side and saying the injuries stung would be an understatement.

Dawnfall sprung at him again without warning. Enduring the pain, he jumped onto his back legs and used his frost claws to grip onto her arms as she came forward and throw her in another direction. Dawnfall almost landed on another cat but landed in the thin snow instead.

As she got up, Redshade prepared to attack but saw Greyshadow some into view in the corner of his eye.

"Dawnfall!" He meowed loudly and tensed as the orange she-cat saw the tom.

"Greyshadow," Redshade said to him quietly. "Are you sure…"

"I need to do this," they grey tom replied. Redshade could vaguely imagine how difficult it must be for him to challenge his own daughter, hoping to come out on top.

Redshade watched intensely, planning on jumping in incase Greyshadow needed help. He knew the grey tom wouldn't be happy with him but he decided on it anyway.

Dawnfall narrowed her eyes for a moment and stood still. Redshade began to wonder if she would even fight him but heartbeats after the idea traveled through his mind, the she-cat tensed and ran towards her father with his claws unsheathed.

Greyshadow forced back his hesitation and sprinted forwards. When the two met, Greyshadow turned slightly and slashed Dawnfall on the side. The she-cat snarled and sank her teeth into his back.

Redshade was tempted to separate them but never got the chance to decide when Leopardfang came near him. He spotted the tom in the corner of his eye and swiftly moved out of the way of an attack. The red tom became too distracted with his fight to keep an eye on Greyshadow. He was sure his friend could handle himself… Perhaps he was just getting paranoid after already losing so many lives.

He took a step back to dodge Leopardfang's claw and glanced over to Greyshadow.

The grey tom was still intently fighting his daughter. At the moment, Redshade could never guess they were related in any way.

Leopardfang jumped in the way, blocking his view from his friend and clawed his cheek before Redshade could counter or get out of the way. Blood dripped down his face slowly as he made a small distance between him and the attack, panting. The fighting couldn't go on too longer or else everyone would tire themselves out.

While fighting off Leopardfang, Redshade managed another look towards the other fight but looked just in time to see Dawnfall land a deadly strike on Greyshadow very close to the neck. He couldn't tell if she was closer to his neck or chest but either way, she left a bad mark on him.

Greyshadow staggered back, legs stiff yet shaking slightly. He breathed deeply and looked down at the wound she left him as the blood soaked into his fur before dripping onto the snow. Dawnfall held her flat expression but was clearly gloating by the way she stared at him. There was pride in her eyes.

Redshade couldn't help but think of Icestar when he looked at Greyshadow.

He was about to run over to his friend but paused in shock when Greyshadow suddenly moved and slashed Dawnfall on the neck. The orange she-cat fell onto the cold snow and stayed there motionlessly. Greyshadow looked at her sorrowfully before collapsing onto the ground next to his daughter, blood pooling beneath him.

Redshade shook away his surprise and ran towards his friend.

"Greyshadow, wake up!" He said urgently.

"I'm awake," the tom mumbled weakly, face half in the snow.

"I'll get you to the medicine cats," he promised and began looking around the area for someone who could help him carry Greyshadow. The tom was losing blood fast.

Heart racing, he noticed Dawnfall a tail-length away. She wasn't moving, assumed to be dead. It was sad how things turned out between the two but Redshade couldn't bring himself to feel bad for her. Dawnfall was a mess from the very beginning. It was Greyshadow who struggled to attack his own family, not her.

He spotted Rainshadow but he seemed busy fighting off Hawkwing. There seemed to be no one who could help. Anyone who noticed what happed was occupied with holding back any warriors who wanted to make the situation worse.

"Let me help you." Relief shot through Redshade when he heard the words but the feeling was quickly replaced with shock when he turned to see Wolfclaw offering assistance. Last he checked, the deputy stayed with the clan instead of joining the rebellion.

"What?" The red tom exclaimed. "Why you I let _you_ help?"

"You're not really in the position to argue about it," he pointed out impatiently before glancing away for a moment. "And I've been confused… unsure of which side to join." He turned back to Redshade. "But now I know. The rebels are fighting fiercely… Fighting for something they truly believe in."

Redshade felt inclined to let the tom help. He seemed truthful.

"This is no time to ponder it!" He snapped suddenly. "Come on," Wolfclaw added before helping Greyshadow up. They needed to be gentle yet quick if he was going to survive.

.

"Icestar!" The voice was angry and dark, giving the she-cat a good idea of who called to her. Icestar turned to Shadowthorn who held an expression that was anything but fatherly. "This is all your doing. And now, I will put a stop to it," he growled.

"It's no use," she replied confidently. "Some of your warriors are switching sides even now. The clans will become four again and you can do nothing to stop it!"

"I have no use for those traitors. There are some other cats who are still willing to fight for Forestclan!" After he finished, three figures began to appear behind him, causing Icestar to gasp. Owlgaze, Silentclaw and Whiteshade began walking closer to Icestar.

She felt like a mouse-brain. Icestar completely forgot about the Dark Forest cats when she and Redshade planned the attack. She never considered they would come to the battle, unsure if they could even fight living cats.

All four cats slowly walked towards her as she began to back up. She doubted many cats around them would even have the time to notice the new faces. In fact, how many cats could even see them? Was it only Shadowthorn and herself or were they visible to everyone who paid attention?

_No point in wondering,_ Icestar thought as she stood her ground and bared her teeth. It was the time to fight for the clans and she refused to back up and cower. She wouldn't let them have the first attack either.

It was probably a thoughtless move on her part. Icestar sprinted forward and aimed to attack Shadowthorn in the middle. He had enough time to react and took a step back but Icestar brought her other claw up and slashed him across the face. Before he could retaliate, she backed up and noticed the Dark Forest cats seemed to have been attacked too. They all had a few new scratches and were cringing.

What just happened?

In the corner of her eye, Icestar saw some cats standing beside her. She turned and gasped once more as soon as she recognized Cloudheart smiling at her. She looked almost transparent just like the Dark Forest cats.

"C-cloudheart," she stuttered from pure astonishment. Next to her sister was a blue tom she never met before. To be quite honest, he was attractive. On the other side of her was Frostheart. The former Shadowclan deputy died in the last attack on the rebellion.

"Nice to see your again," Cloudheart said to her sister before gesturing to the blue tom. "This is Rainpelt. He wanted to come."

Rainpelt. Icestar recalled hearing that name before… That's it: he was Streamheart and Frostpath's father but died during an attack by Shadowclan.

"My daughters are fighting each other as we speak," Rainpelt explained. "It seemed they need their father to intervene. But first, I'd like to take care of these three." The Starclan cats turned their attention over to the Dark Forest cats who have gotten over their surprise and prepared themselves for a fight.

Icestar glanced to her sister again. "Alright, Cloudheart," he began with a smile. "Let's finish this."

"Just like old times," the she-cat laughed.

"Enough!" Shadowthorn growled. He launched himself at Icestar, aiming for the healing wound on her chest. She avoided him by side-stepping and dug both her claws into his back. Even though he was her father, there was no time for mercy.

Meanwhile, Cloudheart distracted Silentclaw while Rainpelt attacked Whiteshade and Frostheart took on Owlgaze.

Shadowthorn shook Icestar off and managed to pin her onto the ground followed by sinking his claws into her shoulders. She yowled in pain and kicked him off, using all the strength in her legs, then pinned him down, reversing the situation.

She wanted to say something to him: something that would give her a sense of closure. Icestar had a feeling no one would be happy if Shadowthorn survived this battle. But since he was still her father, she felt the need to speak to him. Just _something_ to end the guilt that had built up inside of her. But what was there to say? He had attacked and tried to kill her multiple times now. What could she possible say to a cat like that?

Icestar opened her moth slightly but no words came out. She couldn't think of a single word to say to him. It was clear that he wanted her _dead_. There was nothing to say.

Shadowthorn struggled as she contemplated her thoughts and managed to free himself.

Icestar glanced to her sides and noticed the Starclan cats were clearly defeating the Dark Forest cats. She liked to believe it was because they had a stronger will to fight.

"You three have somehow gained the ability to return to the mortal world," Cloudheart said, the atmosphere suddenly changing. She had a more serious tone as she spoke to the Dark Forest cats who were clearly struggling to continue fighting. "As much as I would like to simply send you back to the Dark Forest, we cannot allow you to tamper in the lives of the clans any longer." She stopped there, not needing to continue. Everyone understood what would become of the three now fearful cats.

Owlgaze, Silentclaw and Whiteshade gave each other a few quick glances before they began to fade away as if they never appeared in the first place.

Rainpelt sighed. "Returning to the Dark Forest won't get them out of this," he pointed out before turning to Shadowthorn.

Icestar and the Starclan cats all faced him as the dark tom began to panic. He knew he was losing and couldn't escape.

"Well Icestar?" Cloudheart asked the white she-cat. "What do you want to do?"

"Every cat who sided with you would want him dead," Frostheart pointed out sharply.

"I know that," Icestar meowed. "But… I have a better idea."

.

.

.

The fighting ended not long after Shadowthorn was captured. With their _leader_ gone, the warriors of Forestclan quickly stopped fighting for their lost cause. Afterwards, all the injured were taking to the medicine cats.

Featherstripe, Wolfclaw, Redshade and Icestar journeyed through the moor along with Shadowthorn. It took some convincing (actually, a lot of convincing) but Icestar managed to get everyone to eventually agree to her idea.

She didn't want to kill Shadowthorn despite everyones' objections. She already received a good amount of anger from the cats who believed Shadowthorn should have been killed but all she needed was the agreement from the other leaders.

Too little cats believed Hawkwing was fit to lead any longer. Many cats decided that Redshade should become the next Thunderclan leader but he was to give a clear answer. However, he decided to with Icestar and the others into the moor.

They traveled through the moor and past the barn. A thin layer of snow coated the ground but the sky was mostly clear. Starclan must have agreed with her idea as well.

They stopped only after making a large distance between them and the clans. They were also very close to Twoleg territory.

"What now?" Shadowthorn asked with irritation as he turned to the four cats facing him. "Are you going to kill me here, so far from the forest? Trying to get way from too many witnesses?" He laughed mirthlessly before anyone could reply. "How cruel… Father like daughter," he snickered.

The air around them quickly felt awkward and unsettling as soon as Shadowthorn mentioned the fact. Thankfully, no one spoke. She was going to have to give an explanation later…

Icestar shook her head. "You're not going to die today; not by my claw, anyway. If I killed you, then I wouldn't be any better than you. I'm not going to stoop that low to get what is best. That is why I thought of a way to make sure you never bother the clans again."

"And what would that be?" The dark tom asked with an uninterested tone.

Icestar took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I'm going to blind you."

The statement sent a jolt of surprise through her father. "You must be joking," he muttered. Even he must have noticed how many holes her plan had.

"I'm not. It's not a perfect idea but in my mind, it's better than having any more cats die because of what you've done."

"You're to blame for all of this too, you know," Shadowthorn mentioned coldly.

"I know and I already plan to take responsibility." Icestar stepped forward and unsheathed her claws. The other cats have already surrounded the tom so he couldn't flee.

Instead of striking the tom across the eyes, thus blinding him, Icestar just stood there, almost paralyzed.

"Icestar?" Redshade whispered after a moment. "Are you okay?"

She didn't respond right away. Icestar couldn't kill him and intentionally blinding him wasn't any easier. She couldn't force herself to attack. Was it weakness or something else? Either way, she felt pathetic. Shadowthorn would be laughing on the inside.

"Icestar." Wolfclaw spoke this time. "Allow me to blind him instead."

"W-what?" Icestar struggled to ask. "I should be the one to end this; it's partially my fault."

"You have already been through a lot," the dark grey tom meowed. "There is no need to bloody your claws any father because of this cat."

Icestar didn't answer. Once again, she found herself speechless. One part of her was relieved Wolfclaw offered to do it for her but another part believed it was her job.

She didn't get enough time to think about it before Wolfclaw stepped up and swiped his claw at Shadowthorn.

"Wait!" Icestar yelled the moment he moved but was too late.

Shadowthorn wasn't prepared for Wolfclaw to deliver the attack either. He stumbled back and covered his eyes with his paws, struggling to endure the sudden pain that would have shot through him.

Wolfclaw stared at the tom for a moment before turning to the three. "I must confess something," he began. "Owlgaze has been deceiving me before any of this began. When Shadowclan had difficulty getting by, she appeared in my dreams and told me ways to help the clan grow stronger but they were all lies. It was all a part of the plan Shadowthorn devised with her. I never got to return the favor…"

Icestar had to assume Wolfclaw was one of those cats who believed revenge was necessary. He probably thought that without revenge, he couldn't continue. It was just another way to find closure. With Owlgaze gone, he would never get that closure so taking it out of Shadowthorn was his last chance for the pity revenge that he craved.

Icestar understood but she didn't need revenge like him. She could and would go on without it. Perhaps attacking him would just leave her feeling empty.

The white she-cat just nodded towards Wolfclaw and stepped closer to Shadowthorn. She placed some cobwebs she prepared onto his eyes as she dealt with the pain and stepped back again.

She waited a moment. "Good bye, father," she said evenly before turning to head back to forest.

The group walked in silence for a while before Icestar broke it. "Was sparring him weakness? Was helping him weakness?" She wondered aloud.

"No," Featherstripe answered as she walked next to her. "Few cats would be able to spare a cat who has done so much wrong. You are very strong, Icestar."

Icestar glanced at the she-cat and smiled slightly.

"Featherstripe is right," Redshade added, unconvinced by her smile.

"But giving him the cobwebs," Wolfclaw paused for a moment. "He doesn't deserve forgiveness."

Icestar scoffed. "Don't worry about that. I didn't forgive him. I'm just moving on."

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**A/N: Well that's that. I'm not too sure if I'm happy about the ending though. Maybe Icestar should have just killed him or blinded him herself but I really can't see Icestar (or Redshade) blinding someone intentionally…**

**And I haven't forgotten about Greyshadow. We'll see him again in the next chapter. And I hope the part with Starclan/Dark Forest cats fighting didn't seem too much like the last book in the real series by Erin Hunter. I just needed to deal with those characters...**

**Also, I have a poll up right now to vote for the sub-plot/side story thing I plan on writing. It'll be about another character in this series and won't be too long. Before voting, think about whose past you're more interested it. **

**Finally, I'd like to whip the last two chapters out as soon as possible since school is starting soon. Prepare for that.**

**Please, please, please, tell me what you think about this chapter. I'm still a little iffy. **

**Have a nice day~**


	22. Confessions

_Chapter 22_

"Will he be okay?" Redshade asked the medicine cats urgently.

"We've done all we could," Nightwind answered evenly, looking down at Greyshadow. The grey tom lost a lot of blood as Redshade and Wolfclaw carried him back. He was out cold by the time the Medicine cats got to work.

Redshade was reluctant to go with Icestar, Shadowthorn and the others out into the moor while his friend was in such a condition but agreed in the end. As soon as he got back to Four Trees, which is where everyone has been staying before they divide the clan, he quickly returned to Greyshadow's side.

Icestar remained in the medicine cat den with him for support. The two toms were close and she could relate; she knew what it felt like to watch helplessly as a friend barely hung onto life.

"His life is in the paws of Starclan right now," Willowleaf meowed, sounding unintentionally grim.

Redshade sighed, forcing himself to relax.

Icestar shifted her weight but didn't say a word. She would like to give the red cat some words of encouragement but her mind was currently blank.

The white she-cat looked at Greyshadow where he laid. He was breathing softly and most of the blood that covered his pelt had been cleaned off. If it wasn't for the large gash on his chest covered with cob webs, anyone would guess he was sleeping soundly.

She wasn't sure if she was just imagining things at first but Greyshadow's breathing suddenly became slower. Apparently she wasn't just seeing things when Redshade clearly tensed and took a step forward.

"Greyshadow," he breathed before the grey tom's stomach stopped moving completely. "Greyshadow!" He yowled in some vain attempt to shock the tom out of death perhaps. He stared down at his friend completely helplessly, probably hoping some miracle would occur.

Icestar didn't say anything as Redshade sunk to the ground next to Greyshadow in grief. She has seen a lot of death, which was ironic since she started all of this to avoid it, and sometimes silence was all someone needed to help the mourning. There was little she could say to make him feel better.

The she-cat shifted again, apparently reminding Redshade that she was also in the den. "Icestar," he began quietly.

"I'll give you a moment alone," she said for him. He hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly and returning his attention towards Greyshadow's limp body.

Icestar sighed and walked out of the den. The atmosphere was too suffocating in there… Of course she felt bad about Greyshadow's death. She didn't know much about the tom but he was still a good cat. She heard from Redshade that he managed to kill Dawnfall before collapsing. Icestar didn't want to say she was happy about the she-cat's death but she doubted Dawnfall would ever change her mind and join the rebellion after all that's happened.

After the capture of Shadowthorn, Rainpelt interrupted the fight between Streamheart and Frostpath. He was probably able to patch things up between them. Last she checked, Streamheart regretting staying with Shadowthorn's side and was welcomed back openly.

To her relief, Bramblestripe was hardly injured. Capturing was probably a waste of time on Shadowthorn's part and he even joined the battle after being rescued. As expected, Breezetail stayed by her side for the entire event.

Speaking of Breezetail, the pale tom padded over to her quickly with an oddly overly determined expression.

"Are you alright?" Icestar asked carefully, unsure of what was going through his mind.

"We need to talk," he insisted.

"Sure but I was just about to-"

"Right now," Breezetail cut her off and hastily scanned the area before dragging the white she-cat off to a somewhat secluded area.

Icestar tilted her head and huffed when she was scuffled to the side. She asked while hiding her slight inpatients, "what do you need to say?"

"Finally," Breezetail breathed with his eyes shut before looking at her. "I said it before but after everything that has happened I'm ready to say it again; I love you Icestar."

The she-cat felt her stomach turn. Why does the specific subject always have her nervous? She opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off again.

"Let me explain," the tom said softly. He waited a moment, in which he used to breathe deeply, before continuing. "Right before Forestclan was created, something was different about you. I still don't really know what exactly was different but you weren't the same cat. However, I knew the cat I loved was still there."

Breezetail looked down slightly, staring into space with a sad smile. "I spent most of my time since then figuring out how to get you back. I started making silly plans and schemed with Bramblestripe and Rowanpelt." He chuckled and looked up at Icestar. "I know I didn't help that much in the end. I should probably thank Redshade, actually.

"But none of that matters anymore. Because standing in front of me isn't Icestar; feared leader of Forestclan. It's Icestar, my- "short pause "- my good friend."

Icestar wasn't entirely sure how to respond. She had been completely blind to what Breezetail has been dealing with and what he has been trying to do. She didn't notice she _changed _and never considered it until someone first mentioned it. She had to wonder if Breezetail ever felt that getting Icestar back was hopeless. She wondered what he was thinking when she killed and sent warriors to attack the rebellion.

Yet through all that, he still loved her. She didn't deserve him. She was foolish to think that everyone in the clan was happy and satisfied.

But now the question was: did she love him back? Did her feelings stir just by the sight of the pale tom? Was Breezetail more than just a good friend to her?

Breezetail went on, breaking her out of her thoughts. "For a very long time, I've been trying to get your attention and admit my feelings for you." As he spoke, Breezetail looked as if he was having the most difficult conversation of his life. "I've been interrupted more than enough times. So now that everything is getting better, I hope you can decide whether you feel the same way or not."

Icestar couldn't reply. Breezetail was staring straight into her eyes. She could see how serious he was and how deep his feelings ran.

The grey tom waited a moment before he began to turn away, giving Icestar some time to think it over.

She relaxed her shoulders and let out a breath, just realizing she was holding it in as Breezetail started to pad away.

Icestar wasn't thinking; not a single thought crossed her mind. But as he turned his back to her, a sharp, loud feeling rose up inside that screamed _I don't want you to leave._ Icestar followed the feeling and yelled after him. "Wait!"

Breezetail paused and turned towards her with an expecting expression.

"I don't need time to think about it; because I _do_ love you, Breezetail. But after all I've done, I don't see how you could possible forgive me," she replied sullenly.

"None of that matters anymore," he said, shaking his head. "I love you. I always have and I always will."

Icestar felt flushed and her stomach was still in knots. She had no idea how Breezetail managed to gather up the courage for his little announcement. Then again, she apparently gave him _a lot_ of time to tell her.

She didn't fully understand it. Now that he mentioned it, she suddenly believed that she was in love. Icestar hoped it was more than infatuation. Perhaps she had cared for Breezetail for a long time but never noticed. Was she blinded by an oversized amount of responsibility and pressure? Maybe she just didn't understand love enough to know what it felt like.

"I think…" She hesitated as she dug deep into her heart and mind. She wanted to prove to herself that her feelings for him were real. "I love you too."

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"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Great Rock for a meeting."

"About time," Redshade grumbled when he finally heard Icestar make the call. She was supposed to do it right at Sunhigh but apparently got _distracted _with something more important. What it was exactly, he didn't know.

"I would like to start by saying our friend Greyshadow has passed onto Starclan," Icestar began.

Redshade was obviously still upset over his friend's death. He would probably still be by his side if the meeting wasn't so important. The red tom also planned on sitting with Greyshadow later in the night for mourning.

Icestar gave everyone a moment to digest the information before moving on with a quiet sigh. "Secondly, we will begin the recreation of the four clans immediately." Many cats below began to cheer excitedly.

Redshade wasn't too happy about Icestar changing the topics so quickly but he didn't need to say anything about it.

"Wolfclaw and Featherstripe will regain their leadership and ever cat will separate into the clans they originally belong to. By popular vote, we've decided that Hawkwing isn't fit to lead Thunderclan and since Thistlescar was also killed, there is no one to take over. The Thunderclan medicine cat, Goldenfur, will have to go to the Moonstone and ask Starclan."

"Redshade should lead!" Someone yelled out from within the crowd. Redshade was unable to see who spoke but all eyes were soon on him.

This wasn't the first time someone suggested that he lead but he never gave an answer before. Now, there was no escape.

"I'm honored, really," Redshade meowed, scanning his eyes over the cats surrounding him, all anticipating an answer. "But I have to decline." Cats believed Redshade was a good leader. He thought so too after leading the rebellion for so long. But doing so took a toll on him and Redshade was tired. He led so he could return to the life he knew back in Thunderclan. He kept going, dreaming of the day he could lay under the trees like he used to without a single worry. But now, he was tired of leading. He wanted a break and just become another warrior again.

Many warriors looked disappointed by his answer but the meeting continued nonetheless. He also saw Icestar send him a faint smile.

"Then like I said, Goldenfur will have to ask Starclan.

"And as for Windclan, I plan to step down as leader." This took everyone, even Redshade, by surprise. He doubted anyone expected to even consider Icestar demoting herself. Yowls of confusion rose into the air. Icestar closed her eyes for a moment. "After all that's happened, someone else should take over. It's my fault this happened and everyone here as suffered for my mistakes. The least I could do is name someone else leader."

"That's crazy!" Mapleshine yelled, looking flustered. "You're a great leader! Sure, the past few moons have been confusing but you stepped up at the last second. We're separating again because of you."

Several cats muttered in agreement and Redshade found himself nodding his head.

"Have more faith in yourself," Stormtooth scolded followed by many other voices rising up, filling the air. It became impossible to tell what anyone was saying.

Icestar didn't bother to hide how startled she was. The leader was clearly not expecting everyone to object her decision. While Redshade was sure there were still the cats who thought she should go along with the idea, their objections were being drowned out by everyone else.

"A-alright, alright," Icestar said, raising her voice above everyone else's to make them quiet down. "I'll remain as WIndclan's leader," she meowed, looking somewhat glad about it. Redshade doubted she truly wanted to step down.

At that moment, Featherstripe and Wolfclaw jumped onto the Great Rock and Icestar stepped back, giving them some time to speak.

Featherstripe cleared in throat. "As we moved to Fourtrees, we had to take apart the dens at the four original camps. So as we part ways, each clan will have to help dismantle the dens built here. It will take time but it needs to be done," the blue she-cat explained.

"Most likely, everything won't be separated equally," Wolfclaw pointed out. "Each clan will have to make do with what they get. But before we begin, I will announce the next Shadowclan deputy." He waited a moment. "Shadowclan's new deputy will be Darkflower."

Redshade thought the decision was logical. Darkflower was never fond of Forestclan, nor was Wolfclaw. It would make sense he would choose someone like that.

Featherstripe stepped up. "To be Riverclan's deputy, I would like Bluefoot to reclaim in position."

"I gladly accept," Bluefoot answered without hesitation. Redshade couldn't find the blue tom at first and had to follow the others' gazes to spot him.

Now it was Icestar's turn. Her eyes traveled across the large crowd and she took a breath. "I would like Runningshade to become Windclan's new deputy."

Redshade didn't see that coming. He half expected her to choose Rockstorm or maybe Mudwhisker again.

The dark grey she-cat quickly recovered from her apparently surprise and answered coolly. "I accept. Thank you, Icestar."

The white she-cat smiled as the other two leaders began to speak again.

"Well it's been fun," Wolfclaw said sarcastically. "But now we must separate. As always, the warrior code will be enforced once this is over and we'll continue to have gatherings every moon."

"Also," Featherstripe added. "The medicine cats will begin going to the Moonstone every half-moon once again."

The meeting was just about over by this point. The thought about rebuilding the clans was more than exciting. Everything he fought for was about to come true. It was almost hard to believe.

Redshade looked up onto the Great Rock and watched Icestar smiling, probably relieved. He glanced around to his clanmates; Some Thunderclan, others not. He made some good friends in the past couple of moons.

The Medicine cats looked just as happy. He spotted Echopaw talking to them all. He heard she was going to get her full medicine cat name as soon as possible.

Finally, everything was coming together. Everything was finally paying off. There were many losses but the outcome of everything that has happened made it seem worth it. It would never excuse the deaths but those warriors died fighting for what they believed in, which had finally become a reality. Now, they could all relax and move on, knowing a great victory had been achieved at last.

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**A/N: The End.**

**Aside from the Epilogue, that is. I'll give my lengthy speech about the past year later. :) But ahhh, we're almost done! One more chapter; one more update. Heheh. But worry not; for I will also make an update to this story when my next story comes out, which won't take too long. **

**By the way, I can't say I'm super happy about the past few chapters. I think I'm just too eager to get this done to do a really good job… I'll probably edit back another day. Till then-**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**Have a nice day~**


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